Changing Your Fire Alarm Battery, and Other Safety Information

8/17/2021 (Permalink)

Your home should have an alarm in each bedroom, outside each sleeping space, and on each level of the home.

Did you know that U.S. fire departments respond to an average of one house fire every 88 seconds? Between 2012 and 2016, house fires caused 11,679 injuries and 2,560 deaths, which amounts to approximately seven deaths by house fire per day. The fire damage cost homeowners roughly $6.5 billion. A working smoke alarm can go a long way toward keeping residents safe, but the problem is, many homes either lack fire alarms or are equipped with alarms that don't work. Below are a few stats to support this assertion:

• 38% of deaths by house fire occurred in situations in which there was no fire alarm present.
• Three out of five house fire deaths occurred in situations in which the home did not have a working smoke detector.
• When a home has working fire alarms, the risk of death is cut in half.

You can avoid danger by arming yourself with basic fire safety and alarm knowledge.

Average Fire Alarm Lifespan

The average lifespan on a new model smoke alarm is eight to 10 years, which means you don't need to replace the unit for quite some time. However, just to be safe, check the manufacturing date on the back of the unit. Even if it has not been eight to 10 years since the manufacturing date, test your smoke detector once a month to make sure it works.

Fire Alarm Battery Life

Again, test your alarm once a month to ensure the battery and unit work. After one year, replace the battery, even if testing reveals the unit still works. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Fire Detector Placement

If you're like most Americans, you have just one or two fire alarms in your home. This is not sufficient. Assuming you have a two-story, three-bedroom home, your house should have five alarms in total.

Now that you boosted your smoke alarm knowledge, update your fire safety education. Talk to your Colorado Springs, CO fire damage restoration team for more safety tips.