Smoke Alarms and Fire Extinguishers
Smoke Alarms and Fire Extinguishers
Smoke Alarms
One of the most important fire safety devices for
the home is the smoke alarm. After becoming generally available in the
early 1970’s home smoke
alarm sales grew rapidly and the price fell, so
that by 1991, 88% of US homes had at least one, and alarms could be
purchased for under $10.
Several studies have concluded that when working
smoke alarms are present, the chance of dying from the fire is cut in
half. The smoke alarms
currently in place have saved thousands of
lives, but several problems exist. First, the 12% of homes without alarms
have more than half of the fires;
second, it is estimated that a third
of the smoke alarms in place are not working, often due to failure to
replace a worn-out battery; and third, many
homes do not have as many
smoke alarms as are needed to protect the occupants properly.
The primary job of a smoke alarm is to protect you
from fires while you are asleep. Thus, your alarms should be located
between any sleeping persons
and the rest of the house—outside bedrooms
or sleeping areas. But tests conducted in the 1970’s clearly showed that
this might not be enough.
In multi-story homes, fires on a floor level without
a smoke alarm can grow to dangerous conditions before sufficient smoke can
rise in a stairway
to set off an alarm on the upper floor. Based on
this observation, most codes require that additional smoke alarms be
located on each floor level
of the home.
A closed door provides protection from smoke on the
other side, but will also prevent smoke from reaching a smoke alarm. This
is particularly a
problem in bedrooms. If you sleep with your bedroom
door closed, you should add a smoke alarm in the bedroom; particularly if
you smoke in the
bedroom or there is a TV, air conditioner, or other
major appliances in the bedroom that might start a fire. If you sleep with
the bedroom door open,
the alarm in the hall outside will detect a fire
in the bedroom or elsewhere.
Will You be Able to Hear Your Alarms
The ultimate test for smoke alarms is their ability
to wake you when you are asleep. This generally means that the nearest
alarm to the bedroom can be
no further away than in the next room with
the intervening door open. Hard-wired alarms can be connected together
(with a wire) so when one
alarm activates, all interconnected alarms go
off. Many alarms in new homes have this feature. It means any alarm in the
home can awaken you
in your bedroom if the nearest alarm is loud enough
to do so. For homes with battery-powered alarms, there are models that
contain a
radio transmitter that will activate a receiver that can be
placed in the bedroom. An advantage of this type is that, when you go
vacation, you can give
the receiver to a neighbor who could call the
fire department if a fire starts.Of course, these are a lot more expensive
than the simple alarms.
All battery-powered and most hard-wired smoke
alarms use a highpitched electronic horn which is difficult for some
people to hear. Test
alarms before installation to make sure that all
members of the household can hear them clearly.
People with hearing impairments can get smoke alarms
with bright, flashing lights or vibrating signals. To awaken you, the
light needs to be over the
head of the bed and should be rated at least
110 candles. Such bright lights must be powered from house power, so if it
is battery operated, it is
probably not bright enough to use in the
bedroom.
Fire Extinguisher
Every home should have a multipurpose dry chemical fire extinguisher on each floor of the house and in the garage. Types of home fires are kitchen grease fire, appliance fire, spark from fireplace, smoking, overloaded extension cord, vehicle fire, tools and flamables in the garage, bbq flame up, fire pit, etc.
ABC Ratings. A is for common combustibles such as wood, paper, textile, plastic, rubber. B is for flammable liquids, gasoline, grease, and oils. C is for electrical equipment, circuit breaker panels, switches, outlets, extension cords. I like the 3A- 40BC. A smaller 10BC might be ok for in the car.
Hoses allow you to aim the extinguisher which becomes more important on the heavier extinguishers. To use the extinguisher you must first pull the safety pin in the handle. Hold the hose near the nozzle to aim it towards the base of the fire. And then squeeze the two pieces of the handle together. If the fire is in a large area, you need to work fast and from one end. If you jump around, the fire will flare back up in th areas you have already sprayed.
US Fire Administration, March 2008,www.usfa.dhs.gov and Kidde, www.kidde.com