T his upcoming week is recognized by the National Fire Protection Agency and the fire service as Fire Prevention Week. This year’s theme is “Don’t Wait-Check the Date.” What it means is that smoke alarms need to be replaced if they are ten years old or older. The message normally centers on changing batteries, proper placement, and regular testing. This is the first time that I remember a theme that focuses on replacing old smoke alarms.
This would be a good time, if you do not have a CO detector, to replace your smoke alarm with a combination detector. If you have gas appliances, burn wood, or do both, then you need a carbon monoxide detector. A combination CO/smoke alarm can be placed near appliances, but should be where a smoke alarm would be located. Where smoke rises, carbon monoxide is neither lighter nor heavier than air.
There are now 10-year smoke alarm batteries that simply need to be tested monthly. Once this battery goes bad, you then replace smoke alarm and battery. The cost may be a little higher, but it allows the detector to be dated. If you have electric detectors with battery backups, then you need to change these out at ten years as well. Again, this will be an expensive change-out, but it is worth it in the long run.
Another thing to be sure of during this time is that you have an adequate number of smoke alarms. There needs to be one smoke alarm per level of your home, as well as a detector outside of and inside of each bedroom. Keep in mind, if the smoke alarms are wired in series, then they will all activate at the same time. However, smoke alarms that are not connected in series will only activate when smoke reaches each alarm. There is technology out there that allows detectors to go off, as in series, but they are normally sold as part of a fire protection system.
Another type of detector that we do not talk about much are the detectors for the hearing impaired. These detectors are much more expensive, depending on the vendor. Hearing impaired detectors activate with a louder sound and a flashing light. These detectors are usually powered by AC electricity, though some are battery powered. It is important to know what the time frame of replacement is for these hearing impaired smoke alarms as well. If there is no time frame given, then they should follow the same ten-year limit.
Though the focus is solely on replacing smoke alarms, I did see on the NFPA website that they were promoting in home fire drills for October 15. Brand new, properly located, and properly operating smoke alarms are only a part of the equation. After your smoke alarms begin to activate, what now? The actions that you take to get you and your family out of the house will determine just that. If you have a practiced home escape plan, your chances of survival are much greater. I want to encourage families, whether they participate on the 15th of October, or they choose to develop a home escape plan and put it into practice any other day, either one will work.
The point of these Fire Prevention Week themes is for the sake of saving lives. If we heed the messages and take the appropriate actions, lives will be saved. Smoke alarms save lives. Fatal residential fires occur in the greatest numbers when everyone is asleep at night. Building inspectors ensure that newly constructed homes have the proper number and placement of detectors; the problem is those homes built three, four, or five decades ago. Do everything that you must do to protect your family.
