Check your smoke alarm-it will save your life
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.
A working smoke alarm is imperative for the early detection of a fire in your home. The smoke detector is a critical tool when a fire strikes because it gives a family time to escape.
An interesting fact about fires in the home is that fatal fires happen when families are asleep. A closed door may slow the spread of smoke, heat, and fire. Smoke alarms should be installed inside every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level.
According to the National Fire Protection Association’sSmoke Alarms at Home article,’ “Smoke alarms should be connected so when one sounds, they all sound. Most homes do not have this level of protection. Roughly 3 out of 5 fire deaths happen in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms. A smoke alarm should be on the ceiling or high on a wall.
Keep smoke alarms away from the kitchen to reduce false alarms. Fire alarms should be at least 10 feet (3 meters) from the stove. People who are hard-of-hearing or deaf can use special alarms. These alarms have strobe lights and bed shakers. Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10
Smoke and deadly gases tend to spread farther and faster than heat and that is one reason why most fire victims die from inhalation of smoke and toxic gases, not from burns.”
The website mentions that it can take less than three minutes for a fire to take hold, and it takes just two quick breaths of thick, black smoke for a person to pass out from the smoke.
Do you really want to risk your life with a device that you have some niggling doubts about?
Since no one can predict what type of fire might start in their home, the National Fire Protection Association website recommends,” Every home and place where people sleep should have both ionization and photoelectric smoke alarms. They also recomend dual sensor smoke alarms, which contain both ionization and photoelectric smoke sensors.”
The safety of a family is far too important to risk on the chance that your old smoke detector might still work when you need it the most!
