Smoke Detector
Smoke alarms save lives! Smoke alarms that are properly installed and maintained play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries. If there is a fire in your home, smoke spreads fast and you need smoke alarms to give you time to get out. Having a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of dying in a reported fire in half. Almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
Smoke alarms by the numbers
- In 2007-2011, smoke alarms sounded in half of the home fires reported to U.S. fire departments.
- Three of every five home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
- No smoke alarms were present in more than one-third (37%) of the home fire deaths.
Here is what you need to know!
- Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of your home.
- Test your smoke alarms every month.
- When a smoke alarm sounds, get outside and stay outside.
- Replace all smoke alarms in your home every 10 year.
Many times we receive questions regarding proper smoke and carbon monoxide detector placement. Batteries for both types of detectors should be replaced every year and the detectors themselves should be replaced every five years or when the manufacturer recommends it.
Placement is as follows:
Smoke Detectors – One detector on every level, one detector in every bedroom and one smoke detector outside of sleeping areas within 10 ft of the bedroom’s door.
Carbon Monoxide Detectors – One on every level of the structure.
Additional Resources:
