Facts About Smoke
- Smoke is like an anesthetic. Rather
than awakening you, it will put you into
a deeper sleep! Most fire deaths occur
at night and are due to smoke
inhalation, not fire. Typically, the
victims are still in their beds, having
never been aroused from their sleep.
- To wake up and survive a nighttime
fire, you must have a working smoke
detector!
Placement
- One detector outside each sleeping
area
- One detector on each level of your
home
- An additional detector in each
bedroom You could be overcome by smoke
before any detectors in the hallway
sound the alarm, or if the fire starts
in the hallway and you sleep with your
door closed, the alarm may not wake
you.
Maintenance
- Check at least once a month by
pushing the test button.
- Clean periodically by removing the
cover and dusting or vacuuming (in
accordance with manufacturer
recommendations).
- Change the battery at least once a
year.
- A periodic "beep" or "chirp" means
that your battery is low and needs to be
replaced immediately. Don't disconnect
the battery until you have one to
replace it.
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Installation
- Follow the manufacturer's
instructions. If none are available,
consider these guidelines:
- Mount on the ceiling or up high
on the wall, but keep detectors
about four inches away from the
corner where the ceiling and wall
meet (the corner is a "dead air
space" where the detector won't be
in the path of smoke travel).
- For high pitched or "cathedral"
ceilings, mount the detectors three
feet from the highest point. Avoid
placement in the path of A/C or
heater vents.
- If nuisance alarms sound due to
normal cooking or taking a shower,
try relocating the detector further
from the source or install a
detector with a silence button,
which temporarily reduces the
detector's sensitivity to these
conditions. Never disconnect the
battery and leave yourself
unprotected!
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