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Smoke Detector Installation

Are you in need of a smoke detector in your home? We receive a limited amount of smoke detectors to distribute each year and if you are in need of smoke detectors we may be able to help. Please contact us to see if we have any on hand and we install them at your home at no charge and as long as you reside in our Fire District. We will show you how to test and maintain your smoke detectors for proper operation. Contact the Fire and Life Safety Officer at 864-877-1247 or click the email link below.

Smart Choices in Smoke Alarm Placement

 

Home is where most people feel the safest – but it’s also where you are most likely to experience a fatal fire. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 85 percent of all fire fatalities – close to 2,650 people annually – occur in a home. Many of these deaths may have been prevented; most fire fatalities happen in the 29 percent of homes that either have inoperable smoke alarms, or no alarms, the NFPA noted.

 

While three-fourths of U.S. homes have at least one working alarm, the question remains as to whether they have enough alarms. Model code NFPA 72 requires newly constructed homes to have hardwired, interconnected smoke alarms on each floor, in hallways and inside of all sleeping areas. But more than 84 million homes – most built prior to 1993 – only have isolated battery- or electric-powered smoke alarms. Millions more do not have an alarm inside of bedrooms. Simply put, residents without a sufficient number of working smoke alarms are under protected and therefore at increased risk.

 

Recent studies identify that based on construction features and contents, families may have less than three minutes from the time the first smoke alarm sounds to escape a fire (National Institute of Standards and Technology).  The sooner an alarm is heard, the more time there is to respond. 

 

Because you can’t predict what type of fire will start in a home, it is important that both smoldering and flaming fires are detected as quickly as possible.  Therefore, both photoelectric and ionization technology – either in a mix of single technology alarms or a combination alarm -- is optimal. However, the most important thing is to ensure that there are working UL-listed smoke alarms on every floor of the home, in hallways, in living areas, inside bedrooms and outside of sleeping areas.

 

 

 

The Bedroom:

  • More than half (55%) of all home fire fatalities occur in the bedroom. (USFA)  

    • More than a third (35%) of the victims were asleep at the time of the fire.

  • Half of all home fire fatalities occur between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., when most people are asleep. (NFPA)

  • Since it is recommended to sleep with bedroom doors closed to assist in limiting the spread of a fire, it is important to place alarms within each bedroom as the shut door can cut the decibel level of an alarm outside of the room nearly in half – from 85 db to 46 db. (CPSC)

 

Kitchen:

  • Cooking is the leading cause of home fires and injuries in the United States, and the third leading cause of home fire deaths. (NFPA)

  • 41% of reported home fires start in the kitchen, resulting in 15% of home fire deaths. (NFPA)

  • Install smoke alarms at least 20 feet from cooking appliances to prevent nuisance alarms. Also ensure the alarm has a hush button, which will temporarily halt the alarm during a nonemergency.  

 

Hallways:

  • Because sleeping areas are often located furthest from the exits of a house, it is important that smoke alarms be installed in the hallways and on all exit routes from bedrooms.

  • Install smoke alarms on the hallway ceiling outside of sleeping areas.

 

Living Area:

  • Although only 4% of home fires start in the living room, family room, or den, these fires cause 24% of deaths. (NFPA) 

  • After the bedroom, most smoking-related fires occur in the living room. (NFPA)

  • Typically, abandoned or carelessly discarded smoking materials ignite trash, bedding or upholstery. 

Smoke Detector Installation Tips:

  • Install at least one smoke alarm on each level or story of a multi-story dwelling, inside and outside of sleeping areas, in hallways, and living/kitchen areas.

  • Since smoke travels up, smoke alarms should be installed on the ceiling or high on a wall. Mount on the ceiling as close to the center as possible and at least four inches away from the wall.

  • Install alarms 20 feet away from "sources of combustion particles" (stoves, furnace, water heater, etc.) that could cause nuisance alarms, such as in the kitchen. 

  • Install 10 feet away from bathrooms or other damp, humid areas. The steam can often set off nuisance alarms.

  • Do not install in areas where the temperature is below 40 or higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit, such as an attic. Colder or warmer temperatures might set off false alarms and shorten the life of the alarm’s battery.

  • The living area smoke alarm should be installed in the living room and/or near the stairway leading to the upper level. The alarm should not be located in the stairway.

  • Smoke alarms should be placed in finished attics; the attic area smoke alarm should be located in the attic near the stairway from the floor below. (NFPA)

  • The basement smoke alarm should be installed in the basement, within 10 feet of the stairway. The alarm should not be located in the stairway. (NFPA)

  • If installed on an open joists ceiling, the alarm should be placed on the bottom of the joists. (NFPA)

  • If a hallway is more than 30 feet long, install a unit at each end. Smoke alarms should also be placed at the top of the first-to-second floor stairway, and at the bottom of the basement stairway. (Kidde recommendation)

  • Do not install in dusty, dirty or greasy areas – or near air vents, ceiling fans or other drafty areas (drafts can blow the smoke away from the smoke alarm, preventing the alarm from sounding).

  • Most importantly, install alarms according to manufacturer’s instructions in the owner’s manual.

Testing Smoke Alarms
  • Smoke alarms should be maintained according to manufacturer’s instructions.

  • Test smoke alarms at least once a month using the test button.

  • Make sure everyone in the home understands the sound of the smoke alarm and knows how to respond.

  • Follow manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning to keep smoke alarms working well. The instructions are included in the package or can be found on the internet.

  • Smoke alarms with non-replaceable 10-year batteries are designed to remain effective for up to 10 years. If the alarm chirps, warning that the battery is low, replace the entire smoke alarm right away.

  • Smoke alarms with any other type of battery need a new battery at least once a year. If that alarm chirps, warning the battery is low, replace the battery right away.

  • When replacing a battery, follow manufacturer’s list of batteries on the back of the alarm or manufacturer’s instructions. Manufacturer’s instructions are specific to the batteries (brand and model) that must be used. The smoke alarm may not work properly if a different kind of battery is used.

About Carbon Monoxide

What is carbon monoxide?

Carbon monoxide gas is a simple molecule: one part carbon and one part oxygen. Carbon monoxide comes when carbon fuel—like wood, gasoline, coal, propane, natural gas, and heating oil—fails to burn completely.

These energy sources aren’t dangerous when you burn them in an open area with plenty of ventilation. But carbon monoxide is hazardous in confined spaces—like basements, kitchens, garages, or campers.

Carbon monoxide is hard to detect without a sensor, which is one of the reasons it’s so dangerous.

Why is carbon monoxide dangerous?

Carbon monoxide is deadly because it binds with your red blood cells and

starves your body of oxygen after passing into your lungs.

These are the early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning:

  • Headache

  • Nausea

  • Vomiting

  • Dizziness

  • Shortness of breath

  • Fatigue

Perhaps most troubling is the similarity to cold or flu-like symptoms that are

easy to ignore—shortness of breath, nausea, and mild headaches. Disorientation

and unconsciousness can occur when levels of carbon monoxide reach 150 parts per million (ppm).2

Eventually, the symptoms turn lethal without treatment. Carbon monoxide is the second leading cause of poisoning in the US

For more information please follow the link below:

http://firesafe.sc.gov/coalarms.html

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