Smoke Detectors

Smoke Detector Inspection Guidelines

Smoke detectors are a simple and efficient way to protect homeowners from severe injury or even deaths resulting from home fires. The Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that a home fire occurs every 66 seconds in the U.S. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) estimates that having operating smoke detectors in the home reduce the possibility of dying from a fire by 50%. However, even though an estimated 13 out of 14 homes (93%) have at least one smoke detector, an estimated 1/3 of the smoke detectors are not properly maintained or operating.

The value of smoke detectors is underestimated due to common misconceptions about their usefulness and a person's inability to detect a fire on their own. Here are some important facts about fires.

• The majority of fires occur at night when the occupants of the home are sleeping.
• If a fire starts in the living room of a home, occupants in a bedroom on the same level could be dead in as little as two minutes.
• Most victims of fires die of smoke asphyxiation.
• Smoke will NOT wake up the occupant. On the contrary, gasses and smoke will numb the senses and cause unconsciousness.

Smoke detectors are designed to give the occupants in the home precious few minutes they need to escape.