Smoke Detectors
Fire Safety / Smoke Detectors
Question 1: WHY DO WE NEED A SMOKE DETECTOR?
A: The most important reason is that most fatal home fires occur at night, while people are asleep. Gases and smoke from a fire in your home can numb the senses in a very short time. Every home needs a device that can wake people up in time to escape from a fire. Almost every day, a smoke detector saves somebody's life. That's why Illinois law and the Elmhurst City Code require smoke detectors in all homes, hotels and apartments. Of all the low-cost fire-alarm devices you can buy, your fire department considers smoke detectors the most effective.
Question 2: WHY DO SMOKE DETECTORS SAVE LIVES?
Answer: A smoke detector is a type of fire alarm. Some look like a small dinner plate, only thicker. A smoke detector is placed high in a room because smoke rises. It can detect smoke and sound an alarm before you ever see or smell the smoke.
There are many smoke detectors on the market. We can divide them into two lines: for industrial application and home use. Detectors for industrial application are usually connected to professional fire and security systems.
Detectors for home use operate on batteries; others use the house's electrical system, some with a battery in case of a power failure. With battery units you must replace the batteries. With electric units you do not have this problem. However, if the power goes out during a fire the smoke detector will not work unless it is equipped with a battery back-up.
Question 3: HOW EFFECTIVE ARE SMOKE DETECTORS?
Answer: Residential fire deaths have decreased steadily as the number of homes with smoke detectors increased. Reports from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) on residential fire deaths show that people have nearly a 50 percent better chance of surviving a fire if their home has the recommended number of smoke detectors.
Question 4: WHICH SMOKE DETECTOR SHOULD WE BUY?
Answer: There are dozens of reputable brands of smoke detectors are readily available. No matter where you buy your detectors or what type they are, be sure that products are approved by professional laboratory (UL, BRE, VdS) or organization in your country that tests and evaluates products. Any labeled smoke detector offers protection whether it's professional unit or for household use. But to get the protection you paid for, it's vital that you follow the manufacturer's recommendations for installation, testing and maintenance.
Question 5: IS THERE MORE THAN ONE TYPE OF SMOKE DETECTOR AND WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?
Answer: There are two types of smoke detectors. One type is called an ionization detector because it monitors "ions," or electrically charged particles. Smoke particles entering the sensing chamber change the electrical balance of the air. The detector's horn will sound when the change in electrical balance reaches a preset level. Ionization detectors are designed to sense superheated gases of flaming fires in their earliest stages.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF AN IONIZATION DETECTOR? Ionization detectors are inexpensive, but are very sensitive to most types of airborne particles, making them prone to nuisance alarms. And ionization detectors are not effective in sensing smoldering, smoking fires.
The other type of detector is called PHOTOELECTRIC because its sensing chamber uses a beam of light and a light sensor. Smoke particles entering the chamber change the amount of light that reaches the light sensor. The detector sounds when the smoke density reaches a preset level.
Photoelectric devices detect smoldering fires before they reach a flaming condition. They can also sense the smoke from a flaming fire.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF AN IONIZATION DETECTOR? Photoelectric types cost more, but the advantage is that they are designed to alarm when the home fire is in its most dangerous phase, i.e., when large quantities of smoke are being thrown off -- as when easy chairs, couches, or mattresses are ignited by careless smokers, by overheated electrical circuits, by Christmas tree fires, etc.
Here is a Web video from Channel 4 Buffalo news on the different types of smoke detectors. Click here to watch it!
Installing smoke detectors is the smart thing to do. It's also the safe thing to do.
Follow these tips to help save your life & property from fire:
For minimum protection, install a smoke detector outside of each bedroom or sleeping area in your home.
Keep your bedroom doors closed while you are asleep. Better, install detectors on every level of your home.
Keep your smoke detectors properly maintained. Test them once a week to ensure that the detectors are working properly.
Every Spring and Fall when you change your clocks, remember to change your smoke alarm batteries. Use only the type of batteries recommended on the detector.
Develop an escape plan and review the plan with all members of the family frequently. Be aware that children and elderly people may need special assistance should a fire occur. Establish a meeting place outside the house for all members of the family to ensure that everyone gets out safely. When fire occurs, get out of the house!
