Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors Save Lives
Did you know that dead batteries accounted for more than 25% of smoke alarm failures? According to the National Fire Protection Agency, fire-related deaths more than double in homes that do not have properly functioning smoke alarms.
Here are some helpful tips to ensure your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are protecting you the way they should. The National Fire Protection Agency recommends you:
- Create a fire safety plan and identify routes throughout the home in the event of a fire or other emergency for people to escape.
- Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, inside bedrooms, and outside sleeping areas on the ceiling or high on the wall.
- Keep smoke alarms away from the kitchen, at least 10 feet from the stove, to reduce false alarms.
- Use special alarms with strobe lights and bed shakers for people who are hard of hearing or deaf.
- Test smoke alarms monthly.
- Replace batteries annually, and change the batteries in your carbon monoxide detector at the same time.
- Replace smoke alarms that are 10 or more years old.
At a minimum, industry experts recommend a Carbon Monoxide alarm be placed on each level of the home:
- Ideally on any level with fuel-burning appliances and outside of sleeping areas.
- Additional CO alarms are recommended 5-20 feet from sources of CO such as a furnace, water heater, or fireplace
- Each floor should have a separate detector.
For more fire safety and prevention tips, please visit: NFPA.ORG
Lenny Jesuele is a construction specialist with a 25+ year record of achievement and success managing residential projects up to and in excess of $1MM and commercial projects up to $10+MM. He is dedicated to delivering exceptional customer service and delivering quality projects as Construction Project Manager at Scioto Properties.