The Importance of Smoke Detectors and Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Each October we celebrate Fire Prevention Month by providing some education tips. This year our focus is smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors.
Smoke Detectors
The death rate from fires with properly installed, working smoke detectors is less than half than fires without smoke detectors. Sprinklers and smoke detectors used together reduce your chance of dying in a fire by 82%.
Smoke detectors should be placed on each level of your home and outside of each sleeping area. If bedroom doors are closed on a regular basis place smoke detectors both inside the bedrooms and outside in the hall. It is important to test smoke detectors and replace the batteries on a regular basis. The easiest way to remember when to change the batteries is when the time changes in the spring and the fall of each year. Never disable a smoke detector by removing the batteries or leaving the smoke detector cover open. Investigate any smoke detector sounds immediately and make any necessary changes to repair it to keep your family safe.
Emergency Escape Plans. Does your have have one? Families who have an Emergency Escape Plan in place have a higher survival rate than those who don’t have one.
Carbon Monoxide Detectors
Each year in America over 500 people die, and another 15, 200 are sent to emergency rooms for carbon monoxide poisoning. Because carbon monoxide is an odorless, tasteless and colorless gas, it often goes undetected. At low levels carbon monoxide can cause dizziness, headaches disorientation, nausea and fatigue. At higher levels it can cause harm or death before you even realize it is on your home.
The best way to guard against carbon monoxide poisoning is to install carbon monoxide detectors. Place detectors close to sleeping areas. A good carbon monoxide detector will emit an audible warning signal. To ensure your family’s safety be sure to check your detectors on a regular basis. If your detectors are 10 years old or you’re not sure of their age, they must be changed.
A carbon monoxide detector measures CO levels over time. If carbon monoxide is detected, an alarm will sound. usually before most healthy adults feel any symptoms. It is important to ventilate the home, and remove all people and animals from the building. Contact a qualified service professional to check the CO level and make necessary changes.
