Installing Your Smoke Alarms At Home

Having a properly installed and functioning smoke detector is crucial to you and your family’s well being. It’s just as important as having a home fire escape plan in addition to you smoke alarm . When there is a fire, smoke spreads very quickly, and smoke alarms are a key part of a home fire safety plan.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), a properly installed and functioning smoke alarm nearly doubles your chances of surviving a reported house fire compared to homes with no functional alarms or any alarm at all. Between 2014 and 2018, only 74 percent of homes reported having smoke detectors present, and almost three out of five home fire deaths were caused by fires in properties with no smoke alarms or smoke alarms that failed to operate.

It’s clear to see that having at least one functional smoke detector is incredibly important and can save lives. Below is a list of helpful safety tips to follow to prevent and protect your family from a potential house fire.

Smoke Alarm Setup Tips

It may be hard to believe, but most Americans aren’t entirely familiar with even the most basic fire safety tips. Even the most basic information can be helpful.  It’s so important to have the capability of dealing with a potential fire in your home or workplace.

And in order to remedy this, the tips listed below from the NFPA will help you and others to prevent this all too common disaster. By begin engaged in fire prevention techniques, you are more likely to avoid injuries, property damage, or loss of life.

11 Tips for setting up your Smoke Alarm:

1. Install smoke alarms inside and outside each bedroom and sleeping area: in case of a fire
2. Install alarms on every level of the home, including down in the basement.
3. Large homes may need extra smoke alarms.
4. It is best to use interconnected smoke alarms. When one smoke alarm sounds they all sound.
5. Test all smoke alarms at least monthly. Press the test button to be sure the alarm is working or refer to the smoke detector’s manual when
6. Today’s smoke alarms will be more technologically advanced to respond to a multitude of fire conditions, yet mitigate false alarms. For example, Photoelectric smoke alarms are quicker to warn about smoldering fires and Ionization smoke alarms are quicker to warn about flaming fires.
7. A smoke alarm should be on the ceiling or high on a wall. As heat and smoke rises, it important that they be placed higher up in order to be detected properly
8. Keep smoke alarms at least 10 feet (3 meters) from the stove to reduce false alarms. Having a smoke detector too close will cause the alarm to sound off too many times and be a nuisance alarm. This is not only unnecessary, but it can cause your battery powered alarm to run out of power faster, causing frequent replacements or lack of proper function in a real fire emergency.
9. People who are hard-of-hearing or deaf can use special alarms that are easily seen or felt when the detector goes off. These alarms have strobe lights and bed shakers. These can be found at your local hardware stores or online.
10. Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old. It’s important to have up to date, and functional alarms. Some newer models have combination smoke and carbon monoxide detection instead of having an individual smoke and carbon monoxide detector. There are also smart smoke alarms for your smart home that can connect to your phone.
11. Practice your home fire escape route monthly. You can easily do this around the same time as when you check your smoke detectors’ function. This makes it easier to remember and can be a great practice exercise for the family.