SMOKE ALARM SAFETY

SMOKE ALARM SAFETY

SHARE

Smoke alarms save lives. Smoke alarms that are properly installed and maintained play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries. If there is a fire in your home, smoke spreads fast and you need smoke alarms to give you time to get out.


Smoke Alarm Facts and Stats


  • In 2009-2013, smoke alarms sounded in more than half (53%) of the home fires reported to U.S. fire departments.
  • Three of every five home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms (38%) or no working smoke alarms (21%).
  • The death rate per 100 reported home fires was more than twice as high in homes that did not have any working smoke alarms compared to the rate in homes with working smoke alarms (1.18 deaths vs. 0.53 deaths per 100 fires).
  • In fires in which the smoke alarms were present but did not operate, almost half (46%) of the smoke alarms had missing or disconnected batteries.
  • Dead batteries caused one-quarter (24%) of the smoke alarm failures.



Smoke Alarm Safety - Everything You Need to Know



  • 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.
  • Smoke alarms should be interconnected. When one sounds, they all sound.
  • Large homes may need extra smoke alarms.
  • Test your smoke alarms at least once a month. Press the test button to be sure the alarm is working.
  • There are two kinds of alarms. Ionization smoke alarms are quicker to warn about flaming fires. Photoelectric alarms are quicker to warn about smoldering fires. It is best to use of both types of alarms in the home.
  • When a smoke alarm sounds, get outside and stay outside.
  • Replace all smoke alarms in your home every 10 years.
  • Smoke alarms are not expensive and are worth the lives they can help save.
  • A smoke alarm with a dead or missing battery is the same as having no smoke alarm at all. A smoke alarm only works when it is properly installed and regularly tested. Take care of your smoke alarms according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

For more information and resources on Smoke Alarms, check out our Smoke Alarm FAQs!

Quick Tips to Share

Share these graphics with your family and friends! We encourage you to print these and also share on social media.

Have working smoke alarms. Put them on every level of your home, n every bedroom, and outside sleeping areas.
If you sleep with the bedroom door closed, put smoke alarms inside the bedroom and outside of each separate sleeping area.
Test your smoke alarms once a month. A smoke alarm can save your life in a fire. Use the test button to make sure your smoke alarms are working.
Make sure everyone in your home knows the alarm sound and what to do if they hear it.
Replace your alarms after 10 years. Smoke alarms do not last forever. If your alarms are 10 years old or older, replace them with new alarms.
Put smoke alarms in every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of your home, including the basement.

SHARE

Share by: