I’ve been writing about smoke detectors for a few years. That often involves researching fire statistics, so when I see something like the fact that the death rate from a fire is 60 percent lower in homes with working smoke alarms, I take that information to heart, which in this case means making sure my house is equipped with a number of different types of smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms.

There are a surprising number of options to consider when choosing the right alarm for your home—the type of sensor, carbon monoxide detection, battery type, and certifications. After weighing these different factors, I ended up going with the First Alert Battery-Powered Dual-Sensor Smoke Detector, as this unit includes two sensors, conforms to the latest safety standards, and includes a sealed 10-year battery that brought more peace of mind than I thought it would. (It’s also why I named this the Best Overall choice in our guide to the best smoke detectors.)

This detector includes two types of sensors: A photoelectric sensor for earlier detection of smoldering fires that produce lots of smoke before they burst into flames, and an ionization sensor that’s more sensitive to flaming fires. This is the first dual-sensor alarm that I’ve installed, and it also has a few features that my other smoke alarms don’t have.

I do a safety meeting with my kids each quarter, and testing this smoke detector lined up with our meeting. During this time, we test all of the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. After installing the smoke detector, I pushed the test button, and when the alarm sounded, it worked properly. Outside of this drill session, I also took note of the ease of installation, safety certifications, and battery life.

The unit comes with screws and wall anchors, so all I needed was a screw gun (or cordless drill-driver) and a pencil to mark the screw locations. I usually install smoke alarms using the wall anchors provided, but this time, I just screwed it directly to the wall, and it worked just fine.

Unlike smoke alarms that may only sound once when I press the test button, or others that need the button to remain depressed, this one cycles through two rounds of alarms—three quick beeps, two times, and then it shuts itself off. It’s a really nice feature that meant we could run our drill with realistic sounds.

Until this point, all of the smoke detectors I’ve installed have required a 9V battery. I haven't had an issue with it, but I have had to replace a few over the last few years. This smoke detector has a 10-year sealed battery that doesn’t need to be replaced during that period.

The downside is that at the end of the 10-year period, you have to replace the entire unit. But I will say, putting a smoke detector up and knowing I won’t have to worry about dead battery chirps for the next 10 years is a really nice feeling.

The safest smoke detectors are certified by UL Solutions, an independent safety and testing organization that sets safety standards for smoke detectors and a variety of other products, as having passed their safety standard tests. While the First Alert isn’t UL-certified, it is ETL-certified, meaning that Intertek ETL—another independent safety organization—tested this smoke alarm against the UL-developed safety standards.

Smoke alarms should be UL or ETL-certified, and they will include the applicable logo on the back. The website should also confirm that they meet UL 217 standards, either through UL-certification, ETL-certification, or both.

In the past, I’ve purchased many smoke detectors thinking that these certifications would be standard practice, but the models that I bought have since been removed from the site for not being listed as certified under either standard. Now, I’m working on replacing them with certified models, and this pick was a good start as it’s ETL-certified as conforming to UL 217 standards.

While I was installing this unit, I spent a little more time reading through the instructions. During my research, I learned that the little pins on the mounting plate are actually for anti-tampering.

After installation, the pins are used to secure the detector to the mounting bracket to prevent unauthorized removal. The instructions say that these aren't necessary for single-family home use, but they would come in handy if you're worried someone might remove the unit when they're not supposed to.

The First Alert Battery-Powered Dual-Sensor Smoke Detector is a good start when it comes to protecting your home because it detects both smoldering and flaming fires quickly. But it doesn’t detect carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide alarms have an electrochemical sensor and protect you from the potentially fatal colorless, odorless gas. To cover your bases, you can choose a dual-sensor alarm and also buy carbon monoxide detectors, like the Kidde Hardwired Smoke & Carbon Monoxide Detector.

I take fire safety seriously, and learning more about the different types of smoke detectors and testing a variety of them has been eye-opening. It’s more complicated than just grabbing any old smoke detector and installing it in your home.

I chose the First Alert Dual-Sensor Smoke Alarm because it’s certified to UL safety standards and is sensitive to two types of fires. While you do have to replace the entire detector after about 10 years, it’s still easy to install and the test feature with two rounds of beeps was simple to test during our safety meeting. As a result of these features, I have more peace of mind when I’m at home with my family.

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