Smoke Alarms are Life Savers

Oct. 5-11 is National Fire Prevention Week
"Prevent Home Fires"

Smoke alarms have been proven time and time again that they are life savers and one of the best safety devices we can buy to protect our family. Although smoke alarms can one day save our lives we tend to neglect them.

Properly installed and maintained smoke alarms will give an early warning for the whole family so everyone can get out in the event of fire. So check around your household and see where your smoke alarms are and start maintaining them, and if they are not functioning or don't have them, go to local hardware store and buy them and have them installed.

There are two basic types of smoke alarms, ionization and photoelectric. Ionization alarms sound more quickly when a flaming, fast moving fire occurs. Photoelectric alarms are quicker at sensing smoldering, smoky fires. There are also combination smoke alarms that combine ionization and photoelectric into one unit, called dual sensor smoke alarms.

Dual alarm sensor smoke alarms are recommended due to the fact that no can predict what type of fire might start, so having both type of sensors gives you added protection to two distinctly different types of fires. Take in consideration also if you have family members with hearing disability, you might want to install a smoke alarm with visual or vibrating alarms to alert them in case of fire.

Newer homes have smoke alarms that are hard wired, they are wired together so if one smoke alarm goes off all the other ones will sound the alarm also, most have back-up batteries in the event of power failure. This type of smoke alarms need a qualified electrician to install. The other type is your battery operated smoke alarms, they are easy to install, usually requiring only a screw driver, and some brands sells them with adhesive backing on them. Wall-mounted detectors should be located between 4 and 12 inches below the ceiling, and ceiling-mounted detectors at least 4 inches from the nearest wall.

For smoke alarms to be effective, they must be installed on all levels of your home, including the basement. They should be installed both inside and outside sleeping areas.

Maintaining your smoke detectors is a must so they can keep protecting your family.

Here are some things you need to know:

If you have a smoke alarm with batteries:
*Smoke Alarms powered by long-lasting batteries are designed to replace the entire unit according to manufacturer’s instructions.
*In standard type battery powered smoke alarms, the batteries need to be replaced at least once per year and the whole unit should be replaced every 8-10 years.
*In hard-wired, battery back up smoke alarms, the batteries need to be checked monthly, and replaced at least once per year. The entire unit should be replaced every 8-10 years.

Some of the other important fire safety and prevention information.

*Plan and practice escape plans several times a year.
*Make sure your whole family knows when and how to call emergency telephone numbers.
*Obtain and learn how to use a fire extinguisher.
*Install carbon monoxide detectors.
*Consider installing residential fire sprinklers in your home.

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