Every October, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) launches its annual theme for the “Fire Prevention Week” campaign. This year’s theme is “Hear the Beep Where You Sleep”. The goal is to increase awareness about the importance of installing smoke alarms, especially in every bedroom of the house.
Why a smoke alarm?
Fires are sometimes only detected after it’s too late, if they happen at night for example or in separate parts of the house. Furthermore, a lot of deaths related to home fires are a consequence of smoke inhalation and not fire. People are incapacitated due to the fumes and unable to make it to the exit safely. Smoke alarms help notify you and give you a warning that a fire is taking place inside your home giving you enough time to escape.
Where to install my smoke alarms?
As per the NFPA recommendation, smoke alarms must be installed in every bedroom regardless of how large or small it is, as well as on every level of the house or building if it’s multi-storied. Smoke alarms should also be installed in your basement if you have one, as well as your main living room. If you want to install an alarm in your kitchen, it is preferable to use a heat alarm instead. Otherwise, avoid placing your smoke alarm less than ten feet from the cooking area as to not have frequent false alarms. For good quality and reliable smoke alarms, you can check out Crossfire Alarms’ range of products.
Interconnected Smoke Alarms
For additional safety, you can interconnect all the smoke alarms together. This means that when one smoke alarm detects a fire, all of the others will sound as well, alerting you and your household even if the fire is not close to the room you’re in. Interconnection can either be done using hard wiring with the help of an experienced electrician or through wireless technology.
Smoke Alarm Maintenance
Make sure to check with your manufacturer about their maintenance instructions. It is not enough to have a smoke alarm, you have to make sure it is properly working. Smoke Alarms usually come with a test button that should be used once a month. Also, every year, check that the batteries don’t need replacing and test it afterwards to ensure success. Careful though, not all brands of batteries will work with your alarm. In addition to that, the life expectancy of a smoke alarm is of almost ten years. After that timeframe has passed, it is recommended to completely replace your smoke alarm.