Fire Alarm Safety Tips

1/11/2022 (Permalink)

If you’re a homeowner, your smoke alarm system should be on your mind from time to time. Smoke alarms are extremely important to have in any home and maintaining them to ensure they work is a habit that you must pick up. A faulty fire alarm system can fail to notify the residents of the house of a fire and thus make it much harder to evacuate safely or deal with the fire. 

Here are some safety tips for fire alarms from the NFPA.

Smoke alarms are a key part of a home fire escape plan. When there is a fire, smoke spreads fast. Working smoke alarms give you early warning so you can get outside quickly.

• A closed door may slow the spread of smoke, heat and fire. Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room and outside each separate sleeping area. Install alarms on every level of the home. Install alarms in the basement. Smoke alarms should be interconnected. When one sounds, they all sound.
• Large homes may need extra smoke alarms.
• It is best to use interconnected smoke alarms. When one smoke alarm sounds they all sound.
• Test all smoke alarms at least once a month. Press the test button to be sure the alarm is working.
• Today’s smoke alarms will be more technologically advanced to respond to a multitude of fire conditions, yet mitigate false alarms.
• A smoke alarm should be on the ceiling or high on a wall. Keep smoke alarms away from the kitchen to reduce false alarms. They should be at least 10 feet (3 meters) from the stove.
• People who are hard-of-hearing or deaf can use special alarms. These alarms have strobe lights and bed shakers.
• Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old.
• Smoke alarms are an important part of a home fire escape plan.

Should you suffer fire damage this winter, contact SERVPRO of Bangor/Ellsworth and Bar Harbor at (207)947-0400!  Let us help you make it "Like it never even happened."