Have You Checked Your Smoke Alarms?

3/26/2018 (Permalink)

March marks the beginning of daylight saving time and serves as a good reminder for everyone to test their smoke alarms. Our local Fire Department is urging residents to test their smoke alarms before automatically changing the batteries. Smoke alarm technology has advanced and many now come with 10-year batteries and some are tamper-resistant. Ionization-only smoke alarms that are solely battery powered to come equipped with a hush feature and a 10-year battery are highly recommended. Because of this technology, the national slogan "Change your clock, Change your battery" may not apply to property owners who have these ionization-only smoke alarms. Other types of alarms are also being sold with either a 10-year battery or a standard-life battery.  So be sure to know what type of smoke alarm you have. Ensuring you have working smoke alarms in your home is the single most important step you can take to increase your family's safety from a home fire. As a reminder it is best to replace any smoke alarm that is 10 years old or older To test your alarm properly we recommend you:

• Push the test button to be sure the battery is working.
• When replacing batteries, follow the manufacturer's instructions for the correct battery type to use.
• Always retest alarms after installing new batteries.
• Replace any alarm that fails to operate after installing a new battery.
• Inspect your alarms to determine if they are 10 years old or older, and replace any smoke alarm 10 years old or older. Look for a date on the back of the alarm. If there is no date, your alarm is more than 10 years old and should be replaced.
• Follow the manufacturer's instructions for regularly cleaning your alarms of dust and cobwebs.

Working smoke alarms provide a critical early warning to a fire, allowing you vital minutes to escape, which increase your chances of survival. Additional safety tips:

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, in each bedroom, and outside each sleeping area (hallway).
• Never disconnect or remove batteries from smoke alarms for other uses.
• Use the smoke alarm's hush feature to silence nuisance alarms.
• Make a home fire escape plan and practice it with family members.
• Practice you home fire escape plan at least two times a year at different times of the day/night.
• Children, older adults, and people with disabilities may need assistance to wake up and get out. Ensure that someone will help them. 

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• For your fire mitigation needs, call SERVPRO of Greeley/Windsor, 970-353-1388, we make it “Like it never even happened.”