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Fire Detection In Your Home

It is obvious of course that the sooner a fire is detected, the sooner it can be extinguished, however many home owners still do not have any fire or smoke detectors installed in their homes.

Most people think that it will never happen to them, but no matter how careful you and your family are it is still possible for a fire to start accidentally. For example, a mouse or rat could chew through one of the electrical cables in your attic, causing the live cables to short together and start a fire.

Since many fires occur when the occupants of a house are sleeping it is important to have an alarm to alert you as soon as a fire starts.

Smoke Alarms

There are two types of smoke detectors photo-electric and ionization. For home use, the ionization type is the most common. An ionization type smoke detector will trigger when it detects the presence of smoke and fumes, even before flames start, and sound a shrill warning giving you time to deal with the problem before it gets too big too handle yourself. The easiest to fit types are battery powered stand-alone units and you can easily fit these yourself. Normally all you have to do is attach them to the ceiling with two screws. Since they are battery powered they will still work even if the electricity supply stops working.

Smoke detectors can also be part of a larger burglar/fire alarm system where they are connected by cables to a central control unit. These types of systems need to be installed by professional companies and are therefore usually fitted to very large houses.

Every home should have at least two smoke alarms - ideally every room (apart from the kitchen) should have one. In a two floor house you should fit one on the ceiling at the bottom of the stairs. The second alarm should be fitted on the ceiling at the top of the stairs. In an apartment they should be fitted in the corridors between the living and sleeping areas.

Do not fit a smoke alarm in a kitchen as it will be constantly going off when the cooker or toaster is being used - every time you burn the toast, the alarm will ring. In a kitchen it is best to fit a heat alarm - these detect excess heat rather than smoke. Also, do not fit a smoke alarm in a bathroom or you will get false alarms due to the steam coming from hot water.

After you have installed an alarm check that it is loud enough for you to hear when the doors between you and the alarm are closed - especially if you or any members of your family have hearing difficulties or are particularly heavy sleepers.

Test each alarm once a month, and when you return home after a vacation or weekend break. Normally there is a button that you press to test the alarm. If the alarm does not sound when you press the button, you need to replace the battery. If the alarm still does not work after you have replaced the battery (and fitted it correctly), then you need to buy a new alarm - they are not expensive. Batteries in smoke alarms need to be replaced once a year even if the alarm still appears to be functioning correctly.

Heat Alarms

Heat alarms are heat-sensitive detectors that ring when they detect a large amount of heat. They are less prone to false alarms than smoke detectors but are only suitable for covering small areas of a room.

Remember having a a smoke or heat alarm in your home without a working battery won't help save your life if a fire breaks out.

Every year many lives are lost because homes had no smoke detectors fitted or their battery needed replacing.