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SMOKE DETECTORS
Smoke Detectors
Save Lives
The majority of
fatal home fires happen at night when people are asleep. Contrary to
popular belief, the smell of smoke may not wake a sleeping person. The
poisonous gases and smoke produced by a fire can numb the senses and
put you into a deeper sleep.
Inexpensive household
smoke detectors sound an alarm, alerting you to a fire. By giving you
time to escape, smoke detectors cut your risk of dying in a home fire
nearly in half. Smoke detectors save so many lives that most states
have laws requiring them in private homes.
Choosing a Detector
Be sure
that the smoke detectors you buy carry the mark of an independent testing
laboratory.
Several types of
detectors are available. Some run on batteries; others run on household
current. Some detect smoke using an "ionization" sensor; others use
a "photoelectric" detection system. All approved smoke detectors, regardless
of type, will offer adequate protection provided they are installed
and maintained properly.
Is One Enough?
Every
home should have a smoke detector outside each sleeping area and on
every level of the home, including the basement. The National Fire
Alarm Code, developed by the National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA), requires a smoke detector in each sleeping room for new
construction.
On floors without bedrooms, detectors should be installed in or near
living areas, such as dens, living rooms, or family rooms.
Be sure everyone
sleeping in your home can hear your smoke detectors' alarms. If any
residents are hearing impaired or sleep with bedroom doors closed, install
additional detectors inside sleeping areas. There are special smoke
detectors for the hearing impaired; these flash a light in addition
to sounding an audible alarm.
For extra protection,
the NFPA suggests installing detectors in dining rooms, furnace rooms,
utility rooms, and hallways. Smoke detectors 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.
Where to Install
Because
smoke rises, mount detectors high on a wall or on the ceiling. Wall-mounted
units should be mounted so that the top of the detector is 4 to 12 inches
(10 to 30 centimeters) from the ceiling. A ceiling-mounted detector
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 detectors anywhere in
the path of smoke moving up the stairs. Always position smoke detectors
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 a detector located at the top.
Don't install a
smoke detector too near a window, door, or forced-air register where
drafts could interfere with the detector's operation.
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Installation
Most
battery-powered smoke detectors and detectors that plug into wall outlets
can be installed using only a drill and a screwdriver by following the
manufacturer's instructions. Plug-in detectors must have restraining
devices so they cannot be unplugged by accident. Detectors can also
be hard-wired into a building's electrical system. Hard-wired detectors
should be installed by a qualified electrician. Never connect a smoke
detector to a circuit that can be turned off from a wall switch.
False Alarms
Cooking
vapors and steam sometimes set off a smoke detector. To correct this,
try moving the detector away from the kitchen or bathroom, or install
an exhaust fan. Cleaning your detector regularly, according to manufacturer's
instructions, may also help.
If "nuisance alarms"
persist, do not disable the detector. Replace it.
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Maintenance
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Remember: Only a functioning smoke detector can protect you. Never
disable a detector by "borrowing" its battery for another use.
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Following manufacturer's instructions, test all your smoke detectors
monthly, and install new batteries at least once a year - when you
set the clocks back in the fall, for example, or when a detector is
"chirping" to indicate that the battery is low.
·
Clean your
smoke detectors using a vacuum cleaner without removing the detector's
cover.
·
Never paint
any part of a smoke detector.
·
Smoke detectors don't last forever. Replace any smoke detector that
is more than 10 years old.
Plan and Practice
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Make sure everyone in your household is familiar with the sound of
the detector's alarm.
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Plan escape routes. Know at least two ways out of each room. Agree
on a meeting place outside your home where all residents will gather
after they escape. Practice your escape plan at least twice a year.
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Remove obstructions from doors and windows needed for escape.
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Make sure everyone in the household can unlock doors and windows quickly,
even in the dark. Windows or doors with security bars should be equipped
with quick-release devices, and everyone in the household should know
how to use them.
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When an alarm sounds, leave immediately. Go directly to your meeting
place, and call the fire department from a neighbor's phone or portable
phone.
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Once you're out, stay out. Never go back inside a burning building.
People Protecting
People Since 1896
©
National Fire Protection Association
Batterymarch
Park, Quincy, MA 02269-9101
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