Electrical Fire Safety – Smoke Alarms
Properly installed and maintained smoke alarms in the home are one of the best and least expensive means of providing an early warning of a fire. Smoke alarms save lives, prevent injuries, and minimize property damage by alerting you as soon as possible so you can quickly activate your escape plan. The risk of dying from fires in homes without smoke alarms in twice as high as in homes that have working smoke alarms.
Test monthly
Each month, you should test your smoke alarms to ensure that they’re functioning appropriately. For instructions on how to test your alarm, refer to the manufacturer’s instructions, which should be on the alarm itself. if not, the manufacturer and a serial number should be printed on the alarm. use these two pieces of information to find testing instructions on the internet.
Replace your batteries
If your smoke alarm is battery-powered (most of them are, but some are tied into the home’s electricity) then replace your batteries annually. At the same time you replace your batteries in the smoke alarms, replace those in your carbon monoxide detector as well. most smoke alarms also function as carbon monoxide detectors, but older models may not.
Check on children
Children, as well as elderly family members, are notorious for sleeping through smoke alarms. before you exit the house, check in on them to make sure that they have responded to the fire alarm as well.
Location
Smoke alarms should be installed on every level in the home, in each bedroom, and at least one outside sleeping areas.
