SMOKE ALARMS

Smoke Alarms Save Lives

The majority of home fires that kill people happen during the evening hours.  If you're asleep, the smell of smoke won't always wake you up.  In fact, smoke and poisonous gases can put you into a deeper sleep. Inexpensive home smoke alarms can wake you in time to escape cutting your chances of dying nearly in half.  Smoke alarms do save lives, and , in most states,  are required by law in private homes.

How do I choose a Smoke Alarm?

Be sure that the smoke alarm you by carries the label of an independent testing lab.  Some home smoke alarms run on batteries some are hardwired.  There are also different sensor technologies, some faster to react when fires are smoldering, others faster when fires are openly flaming, all are fast enough to give you plenty of warning.  All laboratory tested smoke alarms, regardless of type, will protect you if they're installed and maintained properly.

How Many do I Need?

You should install at least one smoke alarm on every floor of your home, including the basement, and outside each sleeping area.  Smoke alarms should be installed in sleeping rooms if family members sleep with the doors closed.  On floors without bedrooms, install alarms in or near dens, living rooms, family rooms, and other living areas.  Be sure everyone sleeping in your home can hear your smoke alarms.  If someone in your home is hearing impaired, you can install alarms that flash a strobe light as well as sound an alarm.  Some even use a different alarm-pitch that is easier for partially deaf people to hear. 

The National Fire Alarm Code does not recommend installing alarms in kitchens, bathrooms, or garages where cooking fumes, steam, or exhaust might set off false alarms or in attics or other unheated spaces.

Where do I Install My Smoke Alarms?                       

Smoke rises, so mount alarms high on a wall or on the ceiling.  Position wall-mounted alarms with the top of the alarm 4 to 12 inches from the ceiling.  Position ceiling-mounted alarms at least 4 inches away from the nearest wall.  In a room with a pitched ceiling, mount the alarm at or near the ceiling's highest point. 

In stairways with no doors at the top or bottom, install alarms anywhere along the path smoke would take as it traveled up the stairs.  But always position smoke alarms at the bottom of closed stairways, such as those leading from the basement.  Dead air trapped near the door at the top of a stairway could prevent smoke from reaching an alarm located at the top.  Don't install a smoke alarm near a window, door, or forced-air register where drafts could interfere with its operation.

Installing My Smoke Alarm!                     

Most battery-powered smoke alarms and alarms that plug into wall outlet can be installed using only a drill and a screwdriver, by following the manufacturer's instructions.  Plug-in alarms must have restraining devices so they can't be unplugged by mistake.  You can also hard-wire alarms into hour home's electrical system.  Have a qualified electrician do the job.  Never connect a smoke alarm to a circuit that can be turned off from a wall switch.

False Alarm What Should I Do?

Cooking vapors, steam, and other fumes sometimes set off "nuisance" alarms.  If this happens, don't take the battery out of your alarm.  Try moving it away from the source of the problem.  And clean your alarms regularly, following   manufacturer's instructions.  Some new alarms come with a built-in "pause" button that lets you disable them safely for a few minutes, then turn them back on automatically.

How do I Maintain  My Smoke Alarms?                   

Test all your alarms monthly by pushing the "test" button and install new batteries twice a year, this would be easy to remember if you changed your batteries once in the fall when you set your clocks back and once in the spring when you set them ahead.  If your alarm is chirping that is an indication that the battery is low and should be changed.