10 Tips for Smoke Alarm Safety

Key components to any fire escape plan are having a Fire Escape Plan and having functioning smoke alarms. (See video) Testing and maintaining your smoke alarms to ensure that they are working

properly is essential as well as knowing and practicing your fire escape plan. Research from the Home Safety Council research shows that 97 percent of American homes have at least one smoke alarm and to ensure that your family will be effectively alerted to any fire dangers, the Home Fire Safety Council provided the following guidelines when installing and testing smoke alarms:

1. Only purchase smoke alarms that are listed by UL and carry the UL mark on packaging.
2. Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement. Make sure there is an alarm near every sleeping area. For the best detection and notification protection, install both ionization - and photoelectric-type smoke alarms. Some models provided dual coverage. The type will be printed on the box or package.
3. The Home Safety Council recommends installing additional smoke alarms inside all bedrooms.
4. Smoke rises, so smoke alarms should be mounted high on walls or ceilings. Ceiling mounted alarms should be installed at least four inches away from the nearest wall; wall-mounted alarms should be installed 4 to 12 inches away from the ceiling. 5. Choose an installation location that is well away from the path of steam from bathrooms and cooking vapors from the kitchen, which can result in false, or nuisance alarms.
6. Don't install smoke alarms near windows, doors, or ducts where drafts might interfere with their operation.
7. Test your smoke alarms at least once a month, following the manufacturer's instructions, which typically involves pushing the "test" button on the face of the alarm cover. Install fresh batteries at least once a year.
8. The Home Safety Council recommends using hard-wired, interconnected smoke alarms with battery back-up. These alarms run on your household wiring and are tied in together so that if one alarm operates, they all signal together.
9. Smoke alarms should be replaced at least once every 10 years.