Test Your Smoke Detector
The life it saves could be
yours
Death by Fire:
Nearly 4,000 Americans die every year in
residential fires. Most of these deaths are not
from heat or flames but from inhaling smoke and
toxic fumes. Smoke is actually the particles of
combustion generated by what is burning -- paper,
wood, chemicals, plastic, upholstery, or other
fuels.
Buying Time: When a
smoke detector senses smoke, an alarm
automatically sounds. Most fatal home fires occur
between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Fires often generate
lethal amounts of unseen smoke and fumes well
before flames are visible and before heat makes
residents feel uncomfortably warm. As a result,
many people who die in home fires are asleep and
never wake up. When carefully purchased,
installed, and maintained, smoke detectors can
prevent such needless deaths. Smoke detectors buy
time to get out of the house quickly before toxic
fumes accumulate to lethal levels.
Purchasing:
Quality, not price, should be the
determining factor when buying smoke detectors.
Check for the following:
Laboratory label, insuring that samples of the
model you are buying were carefully tested.
Alarm loud enough to awaken the family through
closed bedroom doors.
Malfunction signal, to warn you when batteries are
weak or dead.
Manufacturer’s warranty of at least five years.
Ease in maintenance and cleaning.
Which type?
IONIZATION: Contains a small amount of
radioactivity that conducts electricity. Electric
current flows continuously between two electrodes
in the chamber. When smoke particles enter, they
disturb the flow, causing the alarm to go off.
PHOTOELECTRIC: Contains a beam of
light and a photocell within the chamber. When
smoke enters, it deflects the beam, causing it to
strike the photocell and set off the alarm.
Which is Better?
Ionization detectors are more sensitive to the
tiny particles of combustion that can’t be seen
or smelled, those emitted by flaming fires.
Photoelectric detectors are more sensitive to the
large particles of combustion emitted by
smoldering fires.
The differences between the two types
are generally not critical, since the difference
in response time is only a matter of seconds.
Since most home fires produce a rich mixture of
smoke types, with detectable amounts of both
large-particle and small-particle smoke early in
the fire’s growth, either an ionization or a
photoelectric detector will meet most needs.
New
Detectors:
As with all things, technology has
helped to evolve smoke detectors into better and
better devices.
-
10 year detectors. There are
detectors on the market today that have a 10
year lithium battery. All detectors should be
replaced when they are 10 years old, but this
type of detector has a battery that will last
10 years also. checking the detector every
month and cleaning it with a vacuumed cleaner
is still required.
-
Combination Detectors. some
detectors are built with both photoelectric
and ionization technology. There are also
smoke/carbon monoxide combination detectors
available.
-
Easy test. Some detectors can be
tested by pointing the T.V. remote or a strong
flashlight at it for 5 seconds, therefore
eliminating climbing a ladder to test
detectors.
Prices, manufacturers, types, sizes
and shapes, can vary please see purchasing
information above.
Placement:
Buy as many smoke detectors as it takes to give
your home complete coverage. You obviously
increase your chances of survival with each
detector that you have, but one on each level of
the house is the absolute minimum.
You should have a smoke detector in each bedroom,
in the hallway close to each sleeping area and in
heavily occupied areas like the living room.
When bedroom doors are left open, you should have
at least one detector in the hallway outside the
bedroom area.
Installation:
Follow the manufacturer’s installation
instructions.
On the ceilings, mount the device away from
corners and walls, which have dead air space
nearby. About eight to 10 inches is the
recommended distance.
On walls, install the detectors high, because
smoke rises, and place them eight to 10 inches
away from corners and ceilings.
Install smoke detectors at least three feet from
vents, which might re-circulate the smoke.
Never place smoke detectors on un-insulated walls
or ceilings. Extreme temperatures can ruin
batteries and prevent smoke from reaching the
detectors.
Exit Drills
In The Home
Smoke detectors provide an early warning system to
allow you and your family extra time to get out of
the house fast during a fire.
IF THE ALARM SOUNDS be sure each
family member knows what the alarm sounds like and
what to do. Families should regularly practice
Operation EDITH - Exit
Drills In The Home. This means having a
prepared escape plan, with two possible escape
routes from every room, and a prearranged meeting
place outside the house. Families should actually
run through a fire drill at least twice a year.
Maintenance Check List
Test your smoke detector at least once a month by
pressing the test button.
Replace weak or worn-out batteries at once.
Never borrow smoke detector batteries for other
uses.
Keep extra batteries on hand.
Change batteries at least twice a year.
Dust and vacuum smoke detectors at least twice a
year.
Make sure smoke detectors are working when you
return home after an extended absence. |
