Sun City Fire Department
Media Release
Date: November 4, 2002
Subject: Home Smoke Alarms
Written By: Stacy Bodenstedt
Do you know if you have a working smoke alarm? If so, do you know what type of smoke alarm you have? Smoke alarms are vital sources of alert in a fire situation. The reasons for this include a loud alarm which will alert the occupants quickly. Because of this, it is so important that when the alarm sounds that the residents have a home safety escape plan in place due to the fact that fire behavior is so unpredictable and can quickly spread. Also in the fire there are other factors which may also play against the resident if not prepared. Fire gasses (carbon monoxide being one of the poisonous gasses) and heat can also make exit almost impossible if you do not act quickly. Environments such as this could cause potential affixation, inhalation burns, and possibly death. Heat also plays a factor because in an enclosed setting the environment can quickly raise hundreds of degrees in a minute’s time.
Initially when Sun City was developed –plans were in place to make the home site state of the art including a smoke alarm. The majority of smoke alarms in Sun City are run by electricity. Nine times out of ten however, in a real working house fire, the electricity is also shut off. One of the safety concerns besides no power to the unit in a fire to serve as the safety alert systems is the face that when the human body is at rest, so is our ability to smell (olfactory glands). So if our senses are not able to detect potential hazards – we could be in a dangerous situation which may lead to a potential fire fatality.
There are various smoke alarm models on the market. However one of the best types of unit is one in which the alarm has some type of a battery back up system. The battery serves as an ongoing safety device that is not dependent upon electrical sources to sound the system. Smoke alarms should also be appropriately placed within the home site in order to effectively warn the resident of the emergency.
Placement of an alarm should be close to sleeping quarters high on the ceiling because of that fact that smoke and gasses rise before settling downward. Having the alarm placed high on a wall is also acceptable. Per NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency) the following specifications are listed below:
Wall Mounting
o Position the top four to twelve inches (10-30cm) from the ceiling
Ceiling Mounting
o Position alarm at lease four inches away from the nearest wall. (10cm)
o In rooms with pitched ceilings mount the alarm at or near the ceilings highest point.
Stairways
o Open stairway areas (no door at top or bottom) mount alarms anywhere the path of smoke would travel.
o In closed stairways (a door at either the top or bottom) mount the alarms at the bottom of the stairway.
Other recommendations for mounting a smoke alarm properly include:
o Do not mount smoke alarms by an outside door, near a window, or forced air registers.
HOW MANY SMOKE ALARMS
SHOULD I HAVE??
· NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency) recommends having smoke alarms by the residents sleeping quarters.
· Do not install smoke alarms in kitchen, bathroom or garages where smoke alarms could easily be activated on a continual basis due to the environment
(Steam from shower, etc.)
If you have any additional questions regarding smoke alarms and proper placement of an alarm in your residence, please contact Stacy Bodenstedt, Sun City Fire Department Community Relations Specialist at (623)974-2321 Ext 19.
