Smoke Alarms Save Lives
In an effort to reduce the large number of fire fatalities in the home, the advent of the smoke alarm brought about a steady decline in these deaths. Although a huge improvement from years past, we still have need to improve these statistics, in fact, it is the fire services goal to have no residential fire related deaths. A large endeavor, but one that you can help us achieve, and here is how. . .
Where to Install Smoke Alarms
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends that every home have a smoke alarms outside each sleeping area (inside as well if members of the household sleep with the door closed) and on every level of the home, including the basement. The National Fire Alarm Code, developed by NFPA, requires a smoke alarm inside each sleeping area for new construction. On floors without bedrooms, alarms should be installed in or near living areas, such as dens, lining rooms, or family rooms.
For extra protection, NFPA suggest installing alarms in dining rooms, furnace rooms, utility rooms, and hallways. Smoke alarms are not recommended for kitchens, bathrooms, or garages - where cooking fumes, steam, or exhaust fumes could set off false alarms - or for attics and other unheated spaces where humidity and temperature changes might affect a detector’s operation.
Mount alarms high on a wall or on the ceiling. Wall-mounted units should be installed so that the top of the detector is 4 to 12 inches (10 to 30 centimeters) from the ceiling. A ceiling-mounted alarm should be attached at least 4 inches (10 centimeters) from the nearest wall. In a room with a pitched ceiling, mount the detector at or near the ceiling’s highest point.
In stairways with no doors at the top or bottom, position smoke alarms anywhere in the path of smoke moving up the stairs. Always position smoke alarms at the bottom of closed stairways, such as those leading from the basement, because dead air trapped near the door at the top of the stairway could prevent smoke from reaching an alarm located at the top. In unfurnished rooms, such as basements, alarms should be mounted on the bottom of the joists.
Don’t install a smoke alarm too near a window, door or forced-air register where drafts could interfere with the alarm’s operation.
(Reprinted from NFPA FACT-96)
When to Test Smoke Alarms
After prevention, smoke alarms are your first line of defense against fire and can cut the risk of dying in a home fire nearly in half.
In recent years, roughly three-fifths of home fire deaths have occurred in homes without smoke alarms. In 1994, a total of 3,425 people died in home fires.
More than half of all fatal home fires happen at night.
Inexpensive household smoke alarms can mean the difference between life and death. They sound an early warning in the event of fire, waking people before they are overcome by smoke and poisonous gases and giving them time to escape.
A smoke alarm can’t save your life if it isn’t working. Here then is the recommended smoke alarm testing schedule.
Test Your Smoke Alarms Monthly
Once a month: Check the operating status of every smoke alarm in the home. All smoke alarms intended for home use in the USA have a button or tab on the outside of the alarm for testing alarm operation. Consult the manufacture’s instructions for the specific location on your alarm.
Once a year: Replace all alarm batteries. NFPA suggest changing all alarm batteries on the Sunday when you change your clocks back from Daylight Saving Time. Here is an easy reminder: Change your clocks; change your batteries.
(Reprinted from NFPA FACT-96)