How Effective Are Smoke Alarm Systems At Waking You Up?

Indeed smoke alarms are a critical aspect of a home fire escape plan. Properly working and functional smoke alarms effectively give property owners early warning of a fire breakout, thereby allowing them to get outside quickly before the damage is done. A smoke alarm system ensures early fire detection in your home, which can mean the difference between life and death.

Though fires can break out in numerous ways and any house room, having a smoke alarm is a crucial way to keep your loved ones safe. 

How Effective are Smoke Alarm Systems?

Did you know that nearly two thousand people die in residential fire breakouts annually in the US? Once there is a fire in a home, smoke and other deadly gases can spread far and faster. If homeowners are not aware of the fire, they can die from inhalation of smoke and toxic gases. However, other property owners can die from burns, especially when they don’t have adequate time to escape. 

It is important to understand that most fatal fires occur when families are asleep. As home occupants are unaware of the fire, they will find it difficult to escape safely. This is why the importance and effectiveness of smoke alarms can’t be denied or overlooked. 

Before we go into the effectiveness of smoke alarms, let us give you a quick overview of what they are. Smoke alarms and detectors are small devices about the size of the hand. These devices are professionally fitted to the ceiling. They are no ordinary devices. 

The function of a smoke alarm is to detect fire in its earliest stage. Once detected, it makes a sound of a loud warning alarm. This alarm sound gives people inside the property a precious few minutes to safely exit the premises and call for help.

Hence, a smoke alarm can detect smoke and notify property occupants of the presence of a threatening fire. And do you know what this means? Smoke alarms are effective in saving lives. A smoke alarm is highly effective in lowering the risk of getting trapped in your property during a fire.  

Studies reveal that 2/3 of the fire-related deaths in homes are either because they have no smoke systems installed or they don’t work efficiently when needed. Hence, it is vital to ensure that these systems are well-maintained and work at their optimal levels at all times. Did you know that studies also show that nearly 890 lives could have been saved yearly had people focused on the optimal efficiency of their smoke alarms?

Tips to Ensure and Increase the Effectiveness of Smoke Alarm Systems

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), here are some tips to ensure the effectiveness of smoke alarm systems. Take a look you might find them helpful: 

• As the spread of heat, smoke, and fire can be slowed with closed doors, it is advisable to keep doors closed and have smoke alarms installed in every sleeping room and outside sleeping area. 
• Ensure to install smoke detectors on every level of your home, including the basement. 
• Interconnecting them is a must so that when one makes a sound, they should all make a sound.
• If you have a large home, invest in extra smoke alarms to cover all areas and rooms of your home.
• Get your alarms checked and tested every month to ensure they are working at their optimal level. For example, test batteries and remove dust and debris from the alarm with the help of a vacuum cleaner attachment.
• Invest in high-quality and latest alarm systems as they are more technologically advanced, can easily respond to multiple fire conditions, and even help you mitigate false alarms.
• Always make sure to get smoke alarms installed high on the wall or on the ceiling.
• Keep smoke detectors away from the kitchen because being close to the kitchen can likely trigger false alarms, which can become a nuisance. A word of advice is to install them at least 10 feet or 3 meters away from the stove. 
• If you are hard-of-hearing, then you might need special smoke detector alarms. In such a situation, an alarm with strobe lights and bed shakers can be quite useful in getting you and your loved ones out of the home if there is a fire. 
• Make sure to get old smoke alarms replaced every ten years. This is much needed to ensure that you have the latest highly functional systems and not obsolete. The last thing you want is an alarm system that fails to function in time of need and puts lives at risk.

Types of Smoke Alarms

Though there are many types of smoke alarms in the market, the two most popular ones are smoke detectors with ionization and photoelectric technologies.

Ionization Technology

Smoke alarms with ionization sensors are highly effective at sensing small smoke particles produced in greater amounts by flaming fires. These forms of fires consume combustible materials that spread quickly and rapidly. 

Photoelectric Technology

Alarms with photoelectric sensors are more effective at sensing large-sized smoke particles. Smoldering fires produce these types of particles.

Sometimes a disaster strikes when least expected. If you fire break out in your home and you could safely escape the situation but couldn’t save your home, don’t worry. Call us for help. At 911 Restoration of West LA, we are the best home restoration company you can trust and count on for comprehensive and reliable assistance with fire damage. Our team will help you from start to finish restoring your property to its pre-damaged state.