A new law which went in effect on July 1, 2013, requires homes and apartments in the state of Maryland to have a 10 year battery sealed smoke alarm installed of each floor . The new alarms must feature a hush function, which will quiet the alarm without removing the battery.

Manufactures recommend replacing alarms every 10 years, and by 2018 the new law will require all homes to be compliant and have lithium-powered alarms installed.

Currently, two-thirds of all home fire deaths occur in residences with no smoke alarm or no working smoke alarm, primarily due to dead or missing batteries, according to the National Fire Protection Association.