Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeep. Is there anything more piercing than the incessant, shrill tone of a smoke or fire alarm? And raise your hand if you’ve ever had them go off for no good reason. (Mine’s up!) You ...

When you move into or buy a new home, no one hands you a guide to how the smoke detectors work. They "chirp," which really means shriek loudly, and you occasionally have to put new batteries in them.

If you think you've noticed an increase in the number of stories about fires lately, you're right. You have. Tis the season. Hopefully, those stories will provide cause for reflection about how safe ...