Smoke / CO Detectors - Smoke/CO Detectors DO Save Lives!
Have you checked your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors?
Check your smoke detectors monthly and replace the batteries twice a year (Spring and Fall) to make sure they are functioning. A smoke detector with a weak, dead or missing battery is just a useless piece of plastic hanging on the wall or ceiling. A working smoke detector can save your life and is one of the cheapest fire safety items you can have in your home.
Smoke Detectors
Most fire fatalities in the home occur not from the fire itself, but from the smoke that is produced. If you are sleeping when a fire starts, a working smoke detector may be the only chance you have of waking up.
A smoke detector is about the cheapest life insurance you can have. Every household should have at least one smoke detector in the home. The detector should be placed outside the sleeping area and others on each level of the house.
Test the detector each month and if it is battery operated, replace the battery at least once per year. Remember, a smoke detector with a dead or unplugged battery is useless!
Installation Tips:
What is carbon monoxide (CO)? It is a colorless, odorless deadly gas. You can't see it, taste it, smell it but carbon monoxide can kill you. Carbon monoxide is a by-product of combustion. It is produced by many appliances in your home, such as a gas furnace, gas water heater, fireplace, gas stove and gas powered space heaters. Even starting your automobile in an attached garage can cause carbon monoxide levels to rise dramatically in your house!
Carbon monoxide bonds with the hemoglobin in the bloodstream, displacing the oxygen in your blood cells. At lower levels, it may cause flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue, nausea and headaches. At higher levels, carbon monoxide can cause loss of consciousness, brain damage or death.
Like a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector should be placed near the sleeping area and in each level of the home. Some detectors have a digital readout that will tell the user just how much carbon monoxide is present in the air. If your detector is sounding an alarm and you have any symptoms as described above, dial 911 and move immediately to a fresh air source. Even if you feel no symptoms, it is best to notify 911 and/or utility officials. Responders can check your air quality with gas meters and determine if there is a problem.
(www.CityofFalconHeights.com)
Have you checked your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors?
Check your smoke detectors monthly and replace the batteries twice a year (Spring and Fall) to make sure they are functioning. A smoke detector with a weak, dead or missing battery is just a useless piece of plastic hanging on the wall or ceiling. A working smoke detector can save your life and is one of the cheapest fire safety items you can have in your home.
Smoke Detectors
Most fire fatalities in the home occur not from the fire itself, but from the smoke that is produced. If you are sleeping when a fire starts, a working smoke detector may be the only chance you have of waking up.
A smoke detector is about the cheapest life insurance you can have. Every household should have at least one smoke detector in the home. The detector should be placed outside the sleeping area and others on each level of the house.
Test the detector each month and if it is battery operated, replace the battery at least once per year. Remember, a smoke detector with a dead or unplugged battery is useless!
Installation Tips:
- Place alarms on every floor of your home, including the basement. These should be located near the stairway leading to the floor above.
- Install an alarm in each sleeping area of your home. Be sure everyone sleeping in your home can hear your smoke alarms.
- On floors without bedrooms, install alarms in the living room and/or near the stairways to the upper level.
- Wall mounting: Position the top of the alarm 4 to 12 inches from the ceiling.
- Ceiling mounting: Position alarms at least 4 inches away from the nearest wall.
- In a room with a pitched ceiling, mount the alarm at or near the ceiling's highest point.
- Don't mount an alarm within 3 feet of a forced-air register.
What is carbon monoxide (CO)? It is a colorless, odorless deadly gas. You can't see it, taste it, smell it but carbon monoxide can kill you. Carbon monoxide is a by-product of combustion. It is produced by many appliances in your home, such as a gas furnace, gas water heater, fireplace, gas stove and gas powered space heaters. Even starting your automobile in an attached garage can cause carbon monoxide levels to rise dramatically in your house!
Carbon monoxide bonds with the hemoglobin in the bloodstream, displacing the oxygen in your blood cells. At lower levels, it may cause flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue, nausea and headaches. At higher levels, carbon monoxide can cause loss of consciousness, brain damage or death.
Like a smoke detector, a carbon monoxide detector should be placed near the sleeping area and in each level of the home. Some detectors have a digital readout that will tell the user just how much carbon monoxide is present in the air. If your detector is sounding an alarm and you have any symptoms as described above, dial 911 and move immediately to a fresh air source. Even if you feel no symptoms, it is best to notify 911 and/or utility officials. Responders can check your air quality with gas meters and determine if there is a problem.
(www.CityofFalconHeights.com)