| Smoke Alarms- Fire safety in the Home |
| Smoke Alarms- Fire safety in the Home |
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Smoke Alarms
One of the most important fire safety devices for the home is the smoke alarm. After
becoming generally available in the early 1970's home smoke alarm sales grew rapidly and
the price fell, so that by 1991, 88% of US homes had at least one, and alarms could be
purchased for under $10.
Several studies have concluded that when working smoke alarms are present, the chance
of dying from the fire is cut in half. The smoke alarms currently in place have saved
thousands of lives, but several problems exist. First, the 12% of homes without alarms
have more than half of the fires; second, it is estimated that a third of the smoke alarms in
place are not working, often due to failure to replace a worn out battery; and third, many
homes do not have as many smoke alarms as are needed to protect the occupants
properly. In this section, we will examine how to protect your family with smoke alarms.
How Many Alarms are Needed?
The primary job of our smoke alarm is to protect you from fires while you are asleep. Thus,
your alarms should be located between any sleeping persons and the rest of the house '
outside bedrooms or sleeping areas. But tests conducted in the 1970's clearly showed that
this might not be enough.
In multi-story homes, fires on a floor level without a smoke alarm can grow to dangerous
conditions before sufficient smoke can rise in a stairway to set off an alarm on the upper
floor. Based on this observation, most codes require that additional smoke alarms be
located on each floor level of the home.
A closed door provides protection from smoke on the other side, but will also prevent
smoke from reaching a smoke alarm. This is particularly a problem in bedrooms. If you
sleep with your bedroom door closed, you should add a smoke alarm in the bedroom;
particularly if you smoke in the bedroom or there is a TV, air conditioner, or other major
appliances in the bedroom that might start a fire. If you sleep with the bedroom door open,
the alarm in the hall outside will detect a fire in the bedroom or elsewhere.
There are a few places where a smoke alarm should not be placed. These include kitchens
and garages (cooking fumes and car exhaust are likely to set them off) and unheated
attics and crawl spaces (where it can get too cold or hot for the electronics to work
properly). Fires beginning in these areas are generally detected by the other smoke
alarms in enough time to escape safely. If an alarm is desired in these spaces, heat
detectors are available. But remember that the smoke alarms are the primary safety
devices in any home protection scheme.
What Kind of Smoke Alarm Should You Get?
There are two types of home smoke alarms available; the ion type and the photoelectric
type. The ion type reacts faster to open flaming fires and is usually the least expensive.
The photoelectric type reacts faster to smoldering fires and is less likely to react to
cooking. Both types provide good protection and can be used without worry. If you need
more than one alarm, you might get one of each. There are also multiple ways to power
smoke alarms. Most operate on a battery (usually 9 volt), which should be replaced at least
once a year. When the battery needs changing, the smoke alarm will begin to "chirp" every
20 seconds or so, this will persist for a month. This is most likely to start in the middle of
the night (when the temperature in the house drops) causing you to get up and remove the
battery so you can sleep. To prevent this nuisance you should pick a special day and give
your alarms new batteries once a year. Some fire safety organizations promote "change
your clocks, change your batteries" when the change is made back from daylight savings
time each fall. Always make sure that you use the right battery ' the required battery type is
marked on the alarm near where the battery goes. Smoke alarms installed in a house may
be operated from the household electrical power and not need battery replacement. This
type of alarm has a "power on" light to tell you that the alarm has power. Smoke alarms are
available which run on house power but also have a battery in case the main power fails.
Both types of alarms need to be tested monthly and batteries should be replaced yearly
just as with the battery-only operated type.
How Should it be Installed?
Smoke alarms are normally installed on the ceiling or high on the wall, with the top of the
alarm not closer than 4 inches nor further than 12 inches from the ceiling. Alarms should
be no closer than 3 feet from supply registers of forced air heating systems (that might
blow on the alarm preventing it from seeing smoke) and no closer than 3 feet from the door
to a kitchen or a bathroom containing a shower (steam can set the alarm off when the door
is opened).
If an alarm is mounted on an exterior wall or a ceiling below an unheated attic that is poorly
insulated (the surface gets noticeably cold in the winter and warm in the summer), the
temperature difference can prevent smoke from getting to the alarm. Placing the alarm on
an inside wall avoids the problem. In desert climates where evaporative coolers are being
used, mount smoke alarms on walls 12 inches below the ceiling. These coolers add
moisture that can cause the smoke to drop.
Older adults may have difficulty reaching alarms on the ceiling to change batteries. If
hard-wired alarms are impractical, wall mounting 12 inches down should be considered.
Will You be Able to Hear Your Alarms?
The ultimate test for smoke alarms is their ability to wake you when you are asleep. This
generally means that the nearest alarm to the bedroom can be no further away than in the
next room with the intervening door open.
Hard-wired alarms can be connected together (with a wire) so when one alarm activates, all
interconnected alarms go off. Many alarms in new homes have this feature. It means any
alarm in the home can awaken you in your bedroom if the nearest alarm is loud enough to
do so.
For homes with battery-powered alarms, there are models that contain a radio transmitter
that will activate a receiver that can be placed in the bedroom. An advantage of this type is
that, when you go on vacation, you can give the receiver to a neighbor who could call the
fire department if a fire starts. Of course, these are a lot more expensive than the simple
alarms.
All battery-powered and most hard-wired smoke alarms use a high-pitched electronic horn
which is difficult for some people to hear. Test alarms before installation to make sure that
all members of the household can hear them clearly.
People with hearing impairments can get smoke alarms with bright, flashing lights or
vibrating signals. To awaken you, the light needs to be over the head of the bed and
should be rated at least 110 candles. Such bright lights must be powered from house
power, so if it is battery operated, it is probably not bright enough to use in the bedroom.
Testing and Maintenance
Smoke alarms should be tested at least once a month. All smoke alarms have a test button
that you push to check out the entire alarm, including its sensitivity (how much smoke it
takes to set it off). If the testing mechanism does not work properly, the alarm should be
replaced immediately. Never use open flame devices to test an alarm.
Older adults and the physically impaired may have problems reaching their alarms to test
them. There is one brand of smoke alarm on which the test feature can be activated by
shining a flashlight on it. Another brand has an automatic test that activates at the same
time and day, once a week. These models can be used where proper testing might not
otherwise be done.
Smoke alarms need no maintenance other than changing batteries (in those that have
batteries) and an occasional vacuuming of dust or cobwebs. Every smoke alarm comes
with a homeowner booklet, which describes how to use and take care of that particular
alarm. You should read that booklet and keep it in a safe place for future reference.
What if Your Alarm "ACTS UP"?
Smoke alarms are highly reliable but can sometimes be fooled by cooking or steam. If it
sounds when there is not fire, it may need to be moved a few feet to a new position where
it is not in the way of cooking vapors or steam. It may also have insects in it, so you should
take it down and vacuum it out. If it continues to act up, simply replace it with a new alarm.
They are inexpensive and can be purchased at any local hardware store.
How Long Should Your Smoke Alarm Last?
Smoke alarms have a useful life of about ten years. At that age they should be replaced,
even if they seem to be working. This will assure that the alarm will be working when you
need it.
Even though prices of today's smoke alarms are less expensive than you might have paid
some years ago, today's alarms are more reliable. Thus, it is usually not worth keeping an
old alarm rather than buying a replacement.
One of the most important fire safety devices for the home is the smoke alarm. After
becoming generally available in the early 1970's home smoke alarm sales grew rapidly and
the price fell, so that by 1991, 88% of US homes had at least one, and alarms could be
purchased for under $10.
Several studies have concluded that when working smoke alarms are present, the chance
of dying from the fire is cut in half. The smoke alarms currently in place have saved
thousands of lives, but several problems exist. First, the 12% of homes without alarms
have more than half of the fires; second, it is estimated that a third of the smoke alarms in
place are not working, often due to failure to replace a worn out battery; and third, many
homes do not have as many smoke alarms as are needed to protect the occupants
properly. In this section, we will examine how to protect your family with smoke alarms.
How Many Alarms are Needed?
The primary job of our smoke alarm is to protect you from fires while you are asleep. Thus,
your alarms should be located between any sleeping persons and the rest of the house '
outside bedrooms or sleeping areas. But tests conducted in the 1970's clearly showed that
this might not be enough.
In multi-story homes, fires on a floor level without a smoke alarm can grow to dangerous
conditions before sufficient smoke can rise in a stairway to set off an alarm on the upper
floor. Based on this observation, most codes require that additional smoke alarms be
located on each floor level of the home.
A closed door provides protection from smoke on the other side, but will also prevent
smoke from reaching a smoke alarm. This is particularly a problem in bedrooms. If you
sleep with your bedroom door closed, you should add a smoke alarm in the bedroom;
particularly if you smoke in the bedroom or there is a TV, air conditioner, or other major
appliances in the bedroom that might start a fire. If you sleep with the bedroom door open,
the alarm in the hall outside will detect a fire in the bedroom or elsewhere.
There are a few places where a smoke alarm should not be placed. These include kitchens
and garages (cooking fumes and car exhaust are likely to set them off) and unheated
attics and crawl spaces (where it can get too cold or hot for the electronics to work
properly). Fires beginning in these areas are generally detected by the other smoke
alarms in enough time to escape safely. If an alarm is desired in these spaces, heat
detectors are available. But remember that the smoke alarms are the primary safety
devices in any home protection scheme.
What Kind of Smoke Alarm Should You Get?
There are two types of home smoke alarms available; the ion type and the photoelectric
type. The ion type reacts faster to open flaming fires and is usually the least expensive.
The photoelectric type reacts faster to smoldering fires and is less likely to react to
cooking. Both types provide good protection and can be used without worry. If you need
more than one alarm, you might get one of each. There are also multiple ways to power
smoke alarms. Most operate on a battery (usually 9 volt), which should be replaced at least
once a year. When the battery needs changing, the smoke alarm will begin to "chirp" every
20 seconds or so, this will persist for a month. This is most likely to start in the middle of
the night (when the temperature in the house drops) causing you to get up and remove the
battery so you can sleep. To prevent this nuisance you should pick a special day and give
your alarms new batteries once a year. Some fire safety organizations promote "change
your clocks, change your batteries" when the change is made back from daylight savings
time each fall. Always make sure that you use the right battery ' the required battery type is
marked on the alarm near where the battery goes. Smoke alarms installed in a house may
be operated from the household electrical power and not need battery replacement. This
type of alarm has a "power on" light to tell you that the alarm has power. Smoke alarms are
available which run on house power but also have a battery in case the main power fails.
Both types of alarms need to be tested monthly and batteries should be replaced yearly
just as with the battery-only operated type.
How Should it be Installed?
Smoke alarms are normally installed on the ceiling or high on the wall, with the top of the
alarm not closer than 4 inches nor further than 12 inches from the ceiling. Alarms should
be no closer than 3 feet from supply registers of forced air heating systems (that might
blow on the alarm preventing it from seeing smoke) and no closer than 3 feet from the door
to a kitchen or a bathroom containing a shower (steam can set the alarm off when the door
is opened).
If an alarm is mounted on an exterior wall or a ceiling below an unheated attic that is poorly
insulated (the surface gets noticeably cold in the winter and warm in the summer), the
temperature difference can prevent smoke from getting to the alarm. Placing the alarm on
an inside wall avoids the problem. In desert climates where evaporative coolers are being
used, mount smoke alarms on walls 12 inches below the ceiling. These coolers add
moisture that can cause the smoke to drop.
Older adults may have difficulty reaching alarms on the ceiling to change batteries. If
hard-wired alarms are impractical, wall mounting 12 inches down should be considered.
Will You be Able to Hear Your Alarms?
The ultimate test for smoke alarms is their ability to wake you when you are asleep. This
generally means that the nearest alarm to the bedroom can be no further away than in the
next room with the intervening door open.
Hard-wired alarms can be connected together (with a wire) so when one alarm activates, all
interconnected alarms go off. Many alarms in new homes have this feature. It means any
alarm in the home can awaken you in your bedroom if the nearest alarm is loud enough to
do so.
For homes with battery-powered alarms, there are models that contain a radio transmitter
that will activate a receiver that can be placed in the bedroom. An advantage of this type is
that, when you go on vacation, you can give the receiver to a neighbor who could call the
fire department if a fire starts. Of course, these are a lot more expensive than the simple
alarms.
All battery-powered and most hard-wired smoke alarms use a high-pitched electronic horn
which is difficult for some people to hear. Test alarms before installation to make sure that
all members of the household can hear them clearly.
People with hearing impairments can get smoke alarms with bright, flashing lights or
vibrating signals. To awaken you, the light needs to be over the head of the bed and
should be rated at least 110 candles. Such bright lights must be powered from house
power, so if it is battery operated, it is probably not bright enough to use in the bedroom.
Testing and Maintenance
Smoke alarms should be tested at least once a month. All smoke alarms have a test button
that you push to check out the entire alarm, including its sensitivity (how much smoke it
takes to set it off). If the testing mechanism does not work properly, the alarm should be
replaced immediately. Never use open flame devices to test an alarm.
Older adults and the physically impaired may have problems reaching their alarms to test
them. There is one brand of smoke alarm on which the test feature can be activated by
shining a flashlight on it. Another brand has an automatic test that activates at the same
time and day, once a week. These models can be used where proper testing might not
otherwise be done.
Smoke alarms need no maintenance other than changing batteries (in those that have
batteries) and an occasional vacuuming of dust or cobwebs. Every smoke alarm comes
with a homeowner booklet, which describes how to use and take care of that particular
alarm. You should read that booklet and keep it in a safe place for future reference.
What if Your Alarm "ACTS UP"?
Smoke alarms are highly reliable but can sometimes be fooled by cooking or steam. If it
sounds when there is not fire, it may need to be moved a few feet to a new position where
it is not in the way of cooking vapors or steam. It may also have insects in it, so you should
take it down and vacuum it out. If it continues to act up, simply replace it with a new alarm.
They are inexpensive and can be purchased at any local hardware store.
How Long Should Your Smoke Alarm Last?
Smoke alarms have a useful life of about ten years. At that age they should be replaced,
even if they seem to be working. This will assure that the alarm will be working when you
need it.
Even though prices of today's smoke alarms are less expensive than you might have paid
some years ago, today's alarms are more reliable. Thus, it is usually not worth keeping an
old alarm rather than buying a replacement.
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