Three Important Smoke Alarm Safety Tips

Three Important Smoke Alarm Safety Tips Ensuring that you have smoke alarms properly installed in your home is perhaps the best way to keep both you and your loved ones fully protected in the event that a fire were to break out. At the same time, however, making sure that you follow a few important safety guidelines regarding these same types of alarms is equally as important as well. The fire alarm systems information provided can apply to homes and different commercial establishments such as buildings, offices, and warehouses.

Here are three of the most important safety tips pertaining to smoke alarms that you should consider making note of in order to ensure the safety of yourself and your family. *First and foremost, always make sure that you have a plan established in the event that your smoke alarm ends up getting triggered. This type of alarm is one that should never, ever be ignored, as there is always a reason that it ends up going off. Whenever this happens, both you and your family must be able to exit your home in a safe and quick manner.

Take the time to both discuss and practice a safety escape plan, which means that you should know at least two exits from any room in your home. Additionally, prior to opening a door, you should notice whether or not it is hot. If it is, this means that you should not use that exit and instead use an alternate escape route. It’s also important to crawl on the floor to aid in your escape as well due to the fact that both smoke and temperature rises, and by crawling on the floor, both of these factors will be much less severe. Furthermore, after you make it out of your home safely, agree to meet at a pre-arranged location in order to determine who all has made it out of the home. Once everyone has safely escaped the home, contact the fire department immediately and provide both your full name and address and be prepared to remain on the line until the operator has all of the information that they require.

And more importantly, never reenter a building that is burning. *It’s also important that you keep the placement of any and all smoke alarms in your home in mind as well. Generally, these should always be placed in the middle of the ceiling; however, in the event that this is not possible, the alarms can be mounted on the wall approximately three feet away from any and all drafts that are generated by fans and/or air

ducts, as the air created by these can end up blowing smoke away from the alarm’s sensor. Additionally, never place alarms close to anything that can generate too much heat or smoke, such as stoves and showers, as this can end up creating false alarms. If you do decide to install an alarm in your kitchen, ensure that it is placed approximately ten feet away from all cooking appliances. *You should also take the time to ensure that all of your smoke alarms are properly maintained in order to make sure that they are functioning as normally as possible. According to the NFPA, your alarms should be tested approximately once per month, while the batteries in the alarms themselves should also be replaced once every six months, or in the event that you notice a sound indicating that the batteries are low.

When it comes to replacing the batteries themselves, it’s important that you follow the directions indicated in the user manual, as these will include a list of the batteries that are approved for use in the alarm.

Keep in mind as well that your alarms will need to be replaced every ten years.

Reach out to Dyezz Surveillance and Alarm for a free consultation today! See more about how we can help with fire alarm systems installation, monitoring, and inspections for homes and commercial establishments!