Smoke alarms & fire extinguishers
A recent pole by National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) showed the following.
- 94% of home have at least one smoke alarm installed.
- 1/2 of fire deaths occur in the the 6% of homes without smoke alarms.
- Smoke alarms failed in 30% of reported home fires.
- The Consumer Product Safety Commission report found only 20% of installed smoke alamrs are working properly.
Proper maintance of your your smoke alarm
- Test each smoke alarm monthly
- Replace batteries every spring and fall
- Replace batteries immediatley if the alarm makes a "chirping" sound
- Change batteries after moving into a new home
- Install a new smoke alarm every 10 years
Other fire safety tips
- Develop and practice a home fire escape plan
- Install at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home
- Mount smoke alarms high on the wall or on the ceiling
- Make sure alarms have been tested by an independent testing lab (such as Underwriters Laboratories [UL])
Source: Alice Dahlgren's AtHome Newsletter
