Is Your Smoke Alarm Working?
Editorial Idea - Smoke alarms detect smoke in the early stages of a fire and sound an alarm, giving you precious time to escape. Smoke alarms save lives.
Test Your Smoke Alarm
Ninety-five percent of homes have at least one smoke alarm. That explains why far fewer people die in home fires now than back in the 1970s. Smoke alarms save lives.
Smoke alarms detect smoke in the early stages of a fire and sound an alarm, giving you precious time to escape.
Investigations into home fire deaths very often find that a smoke alarm did not sound. It may have been disconnected or not in working order. The batteries may have been dead, or someone may have taken them out.
Most fatal fires start at night. Smoke alone won’t necessarily wake you up. In fact, the fumes could put you into an even deeper sleep. Often, victims never wake up. Only a working smoke alarm can save your life!
Make sure your smoke alarms are working. A dead unit is worse than none at all-it can give you a false sense of security.
Smoke Alarm Basics
When you buy a smoke alarm, look for the ULC label. This label ensures the product meet regulated standards. Read the manufacturer’s instructions so you know how to install, maintain and test it.
You need a smoke alarm on every level of your home. Single-level homes and apartments should have smoke alarms near the kitchen and all sleeping areas.
Test your alarm monthly by pushing the test button. Once a year, use a smouldering cotton string, cigarette or incense until the smoke makes the alarm sound. If the alarm is battery-powered and doesn’t sound, replace the battery and try again. If it’s electrically connected to household circuits and doesn’t sound, check the fuse and try again. In either case, if the alarm still isn’t working, replace the entire unit.
Replace the batteries every year or when you hear intermittent beeping. Don’t use rechargeable batteries. Unlike regular batteries, they lose their charge without emitting any warning signal.
Smoke alarms can be electrically powered, battery powered or a combination of both. Whatever kind you have, remember-they don’t last forever. Err on the side of safety-replace them every five years with new ones.
When smoke alarms become plugged up they may not work, even if the batteries are still good. Every six month, clean the inside of battery-powered units with the soft brush attachment on your vacuum. For electric units, shut off the power and vacuum the outside vents; when you turn the power back on, test the unit. Clean smoke alarms more often if there’s a smoker in the house.
Make sure everyone in your home recognizes the sound of the alarm and knows what to do in case of a fire. Know two ways out of every room and have a prearranged meeting place outside. Practice your home escape plan regularly.
Once out, stay out, and call the fire department from the nearest phone. Never go back into your home until the fire department says it is safe.
Types Of Smoke Alarms
A flaming fire burns combustibles quickly, spreads rapidly and generates a lot of heat but only a little smoke. Cooking fat or grease, flammable liquids, newspapers, paint and cleaning solutions all burn quickly and create more flames than smoke. Ionization-type smoke alarms typically respond first to fast-flaming fires. They are best suited for rooms which contain highly combustible materials.
A smouldering fire produces a lot of smoke but little heat. It may smoulder for hours before bursting into flame. Large pieces of furniture, such as sofas, chairs, mattresses and countertops burn slowly and create more smoke than flames. Photoelectric-type smoke alarms typically respond first to slow-mouldering fires and are less prone to be nuisance alarms near the kitchen area. These models are best-suited for living rooms, bedrooms and near kitchens.
For maximum protection, install at least one ionization- and one photoelectric-type smoke alarm on each level of your home.