Smoke Alarm Information
Change your Smoke Alarm Battery!
Smoke alarms play a critical role in saving lives. They increase your chance of survival by more than half. Code requires a working smoke alarm on every sleeping level of your residence. If you are a renter, your landlord is responsible for making sure there are working smoke detectors. Smoke alarms play a critical role in saving lives. They increase your chance of survival in a fire by more than half.
Click here for a PDF file with more helpful information.
Home Smoke Alarm Information
Smoke alarms save lives: The majority of home fires that kill people happen at night. Inexpensive home smoke alarms can make you in time to escape - cutting your chances of dying nearly in half. Smoke alarms do save lives and are required by law in all private homes on every floor and the current code requires smoke detectors in all sleeping areas of your home.
How to choose a smoke alarm - You can buy smoke detectors from any retail store such as Target, KMart, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowes and Menards. You do not necessarily have to buy the most expensive smoke detectors. Tests have been conducted and the cheapest one responds just as well as the most expensive detectors. Some home alarms run on batteries and others on home current.
Click here for a PDF file with more helpful information.
Smoke Detector Handout for Apartments
Studies have shown that roughly one-fifth of the tens of millions of smoke alarms installed in homes or apartments are not in proper working condition. These poorly maintained units endanger occupants by creating a false sense of security.
More than half of all fatal fires strike when people are asleep. The sooner a sleeping person wakes up and reacts, the greater his or her chances are of surviving the fire. If you’re asleep, the smell of smoke won’t always wake you up. In fact, smoke and poisonous gases can put you into a deeper sleep. Smoke alarms can cut your risk of dying in a fire nearly in half. Most people who die in home fires don’t die from the actual fire itself, but the smoke. Smoke alarms do save lives, and are required by law.
Click here for a PDF file with a detailed maintenance list for your smoke detector.
Fire Alarm Installation Policy
In the event of a fire, a smoke alarm can save your life and those of your loved ones. They are the single most important means of preventing house and apartment fire fatalities by providing an early warning signal -- so you and your family can escape. Smoke alarms are one of the best safety features you can buy and install to protect yourself, your family and your home.
Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement. Many fatal fires begin late at night or in the early morning. For extra safety, install smoke alarms both inside and outside the sleeping area.
Also, smoke alarms should be installed on the ceiling or 6 to 8 inches below the ceiling on side walls. Since smoke and many deadly gases rise, installing your smoke alarms at the proper level will provide you with the earliest warning possible. Always follow the manufacturer's installation instructions.
Click here to read a PDF file with your local fire alarm installation policies.