In the event of a fire, properly installed and maintained smoke alarms will provide an early warning alarm to your household. This alarm could save your own life and those of your loved ones by providing the chance to escape. Please follow the link below for information on how smoke alarms work, what type to use, and other useful facts.
What type of smoke alarms do you have in your home? The majority of homes in this country are protected by smoke alarms using ionization sensing technology. Ionization smoke alarms are inexpensive, and readily available.
Several studies conducted over the years have shown that smoke alarms employing photoelectric sensing technology provide consistent, rapid and reliable response to all types of fires, including slow burning smoky fires commonly encountered in single family homes and are less prone to false alarms in certain areas such as kitchens unlike their ionization counterparts. At first more costly and not as easy to come by, photoelectric smoke alarms are now becoming more affordable and available than ever before.
We recommend replacement of all battery operated smoke alarms at 10 year intervals. If you have smoke alarms in you home that are 10 years old or more, you should replace them with new photoelectric models, available at most home centers, discount and department stores and on line. If your existing smoke alarms utilize ionization sensing technology regardless of age, we recommend installing photoelectric models either in place of, or in addition to them.
For optimum protection, smoke alarms should be located as follows: 1) On each occupiable level of your home including basements. 2) In each sleeping area or room. 3) Outside each sleeping area (like common hallways serving bedrooms). Ideally, all smoke alarms should be interconnected so that when one goes off, they all go off. This helps to ensure everyone in your home will be alerted to the presence of smoke, even if the fire starts in a remote area in the middle of the night. Please see the smoke alarms safety tips link at the top of this page for more information on locating smoke alarms.
Please click on the following links to see a news video produced by The Ohio News Network on residential smoke alarms, a youtube video on UL testing, and a link to the World Fire Safety Foundation. It could save your life, or the life of someone you love.