Smoke Detectors
Did you know that the majority of household fires occur in the early morning or during the middle of the night? A fire can spread rapidly but it does not have to be the cause of injuries or loss of life.
A smoke detector is often the first signal that a fire has started in the home.
This simple device is often forgotten or disregarded by homeowners.
Batteries go unchecked and stop working or smoke detectors hit their life span and become unreliable while many go about their daily lives and ignore the little white device on the ceiling.
This can live your home and family completely unprotected from this type of disaster.
Even homeowners with top of the line home security systems with monitoring services can neglect to check their smoke detectors batteries.
Statistics are available from the USFA for the year 2006.
During that year there were 16,400 injuries, 3,245 deaths, and 106 firefighter casualties.
Eighty-one percent of these were related to home or apartment fires.
Keeping this in mind it is extremely important that we are prepared in the event of a fire in our home.
First and foremost, a smoke detector should be installed in the home.
If you have not already had a smoke detector installed you should look into getting one.
There are many smoke detectors on the market that do not require wired installation.
These are often installed with a simply screwdriver and adhesive strips.
One detector should be installed on each level of your home including the basement.
Place the detector just outside of living quarters or within living quarters.
There are two types of fire alarms on the market for home smoke detectors.
These are ionization and photoelectric.
Photoelectric detectors will sound an alert if smoke is detecting or a fire is smoldering.
Ionization detectors are used to sense a fast moving, flaming fire.
Consumers can benefit from both forms of detecting by installing a dual sensor smoke alarm.
It is important for homeowners to check the batteries in their smoke alarm every year and test the smoke alarm itself once a month.
This can be a lifesaving few minutes spent.
It is often recommended to pick a home holiday such as a birthday or anniversary to check the battery so that it will not be forgotten.
After you have had a smoke alarm for 8 - 10 years it is time to replace it.
If you currently do not have a home security system with monitoring you should consider your options.
A security service that monitors your home for fire can alert emergency response units if a fire breaks out in your home.
Another added benefit is that the home security monitoring center can alert response units to pets in the home that will need their assistance if you are not there.
This can be lifesaving for your precious family pets who need protection too.
Another important step in preparing your home is family training.
Develop a home evacuation plan and practice the plan often to make sure that everyone knows what to do if the smoke alarm goes off.
Have two evacuation plans setup for each room and prepare a drawing to show family members the routes of the entire home.
When you are finished, you might want to check those batteries or test your smoke alarm.
In the unfortunate event that a fire breaks out, you will be glad that you did.
A smoke detector is often the first signal that a fire has started in the home.
This simple device is often forgotten or disregarded by homeowners.
Batteries go unchecked and stop working or smoke detectors hit their life span and become unreliable while many go about their daily lives and ignore the little white device on the ceiling.
This can live your home and family completely unprotected from this type of disaster.
Even homeowners with top of the line home security systems with monitoring services can neglect to check their smoke detectors batteries.
Statistics are available from the USFA for the year 2006.
During that year there were 16,400 injuries, 3,245 deaths, and 106 firefighter casualties.
Eighty-one percent of these were related to home or apartment fires.
Keeping this in mind it is extremely important that we are prepared in the event of a fire in our home.
First and foremost, a smoke detector should be installed in the home.
If you have not already had a smoke detector installed you should look into getting one.
There are many smoke detectors on the market that do not require wired installation.
These are often installed with a simply screwdriver and adhesive strips.
One detector should be installed on each level of your home including the basement.
Place the detector just outside of living quarters or within living quarters.
There are two types of fire alarms on the market for home smoke detectors.
These are ionization and photoelectric.
Photoelectric detectors will sound an alert if smoke is detecting or a fire is smoldering.
Ionization detectors are used to sense a fast moving, flaming fire.
Consumers can benefit from both forms of detecting by installing a dual sensor smoke alarm.
It is important for homeowners to check the batteries in their smoke alarm every year and test the smoke alarm itself once a month.
This can be a lifesaving few minutes spent.
It is often recommended to pick a home holiday such as a birthday or anniversary to check the battery so that it will not be forgotten.
After you have had a smoke alarm for 8 - 10 years it is time to replace it.
If you currently do not have a home security system with monitoring you should consider your options.
A security service that monitors your home for fire can alert emergency response units if a fire breaks out in your home.
Another added benefit is that the home security monitoring center can alert response units to pets in the home that will need their assistance if you are not there.
This can be lifesaving for your precious family pets who need protection too.
Another important step in preparing your home is family training.
Develop a home evacuation plan and practice the plan often to make sure that everyone knows what to do if the smoke alarm goes off.
Have two evacuation plans setup for each room and prepare a drawing to show family members the routes of the entire home.
When you are finished, you might want to check those batteries or test your smoke alarm.
In the unfortunate event that a fire breaks out, you will be glad that you did.
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