You changed your clocks. 

Did you change your Smoke Detector batteries?

Why have a Smoke Detector?

  Home fires are a serious threat to your family's safety. Every year in the United States, approximately 5,000 people are killed and more than 40,000 are injured by residential fires. In addition, more than $8 billion worth of property damage is done by home fires. Many fire victims die of inhalation of smoke and toxic gases, not because of burns. Most deaths and injuries occur in fires that happen at night while the victims are asleep. Sleepers must be warned before it is too late

• An estimated 890 lives could be saved each year if all homes had working smoke alarms.

• The fire death rate in homes with working smoke alarms is 51% less than the rate for homes without this protection.

What type of Smoke Detector should I get?

Each type of detector, if properly installed and maintained, is effective. Since photoelectric detectors react more quickly to smoldering fires and ionization units will respond faster to flaming fires, you may wish to buy at least one unit of each or a combination detector. However, because most home fires produce a mixture of smoke types with detectable amounts of large particle and small particle smoke early in the fire growth, either an ionization or a photoelectric detector will meet most needs.

How many Smoke Detectors do I need?

There should be at least one smoke detector on every floor of the house. Tests conducted by the National Bureau of Standards have shown that two detectors, on different levels of a two-story home, are twice as likely to provide enough time for escape as one detector. Although the upstairs detector senses smoke wherever it originates, the downstairs unit will react sooner to a fire that could block escape routes on the first floor.

When should I change the batteries?

1. Smoke Alarms powered by long-lasting batteries are designed to replace the entire unit according to manufacturer’s instructions.

2. In standard type battery powered smoke alarms, the batteries need to be replaced at least once per year and the whole unit should be replaced every 8-10 years.

3. In hard-wired, battery back up smoke alarms, the batteries need to be checked monthly, and replaced at least once per year. The entire unit should be replaced every 8-10 years.

Every Spring and Fall when you change your clocks, remember to change your smoke alarm batteries. Use only the type of batteries recommended on the detector.

***If your smoke alarm starts making a "chirping" noise, replace the batteries and reset it.***

HELPFUL LINKS
(Click Below)

Purchasing a Smoke Detector

Information regarding Smoke Detectors

Information for the kids

Information for Manufactured Home owners