Protection: Smoke Alarms

Just as there are different types of fires that start, spread and smoke in different ways, so too are there different types of smoke alarms:

• Ionization smoke alarms respond quickly to fast flaming fires, which generate a lot of heat but not necessarily a lot of smoke. Select an ionization smoke alarm for your home's living and sleeping areas.
  
  
• Photoelectric smoke alarms respond quickly to smoldering fires that produce a lot of smoke with less heat. These alarms are an excellent choice for the kitchen area because they are less prone to nuisance alarms caused by cooking (burnt toast) or humidity (shower steam).

Always select smoke alarms that feature a “Hush” button, that allows you to temporarily silence an alarm for 7-10 minutes in the event of a nuisance alarm caused by cooking or steam.  Once you have determined that a smoke alarm has sounded for a non-emergency, pressing the Hush button will give you time to clear the air while still keeping you protected in case a real fire breaks out.

The latest smoke alarms are wireless and interconnected.  This means you can install these battery operated alarms throughout your home without the need for expensive wiring, and the alarms connect to each other so that when one sounds, they all sound.  Nuisance alarms can also be silenced by pushing the “Hush” button on one alarm in the system, to quiet all alarms.  This new technology provides the earliest warning to fire and smoke.

Whichever alarms you install, remember to inspect, clean and test smoke alarms regularly and to change the batteries every spring and fall.

Where to Install Smoke Alarms

The first step in ensuring effective warning and protection by fire safety equipment is to ensure that it is installed properly. Follow the tips below when installing smoke alarms:

• Install at least one smoke alarm on every floor of your home (including the basement) and outside each sleeping area. If you sleep with the doors closed, put a smoke alarm inside each bedroom.
  
  
• Mount smoke alarms on ceilings or high on walls – never low on a wall or on the floor, because smoke rises.
  
  
• On the ceiling, place the alarm at least four inches away from the nearest wall.
  
  
• On the wall, place the alarm at least four inches but no more than 12 inches from the ceiling.
  
  
• NEVER install a smoke alarm near a window, outside a door or near a duct where drafts might interfere with the alarm’s detection of smoke.