SMOKE DETECTORS
SAVES 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 label of an independent testing
laboratory.
Several types of detectors are
available. Some run on batteries, others on household current.
Some detect smoke using an "ionization" sensor, other use a
"photoelectric" detection system. All approved smoke detectors,
regardless of the 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 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 as well. There are
special smoke detectors for the hearing impaired; these flash a
light in addition to sounding an audible alarm.
For extra protection, 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 the the detector is 4 to 12
inches (10 to 30cm) from the ceiling. A ceiling-mounted detector
should be attached at least 4 inches (10cm) from the near east
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. But always position smoke detectors
at the bottom of closed stairways, such as those leading to the
basement, because 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.
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 by 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 the manufacturer's
instructions, may also help.
If "nuisance alarms" persist, do
not disable the detector. Replace the detector.
MAINTENANCE
Only a functioning smoke detector
can protect you. Never disable a detector by "borrowing" its
battery for another use.
Following the manufacturer's
instructions, test all your smoke detectors monthly and install
new batteries at least once a year. A good reminder is when you
change your clocks in the spring or fall: change your clock,
change your battery.
Clean you smoke detectors using
a vacuum cleaners without removing the detector's
cover.
Never paint a smoke
detector.
Smoke detectors don't last
forever. Replace any smoke detector that is more than 10 years
old.
CHECKLIST
Make sure everyone is
familiar with the sound of the detector's alarm.
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.
Remove obstructions from doors
and windows needed for escape.
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.
When an alarm sounds, leave
immediately. Go directly to your outside meeting place and call
the fire department.
Once you're out, stay out. Never
return to a burning building.
People Protecting People
Since 1896
Copyright 1995
National Fire Protection
Association
Batterymarch Park
Quincy, MA 02269-9101
