Monday, September 28, 2009

Fire Alarms are Worth Every Penny

By Christopher Williams

Every year many people die from house fires. While a house fire can be prevented, accidents will happen. Fire alarms can save you and your family's life by alerting you to a house fire. Most people who die from a house fire do so because of smoke inhalation. Fire alarms alert you to smoke or heat before the fire consumes your entire house, making it impossible for you to breathe.

The most important part of any fire alarm system is the smoke detector. Smoke detectors can save your life by alerting you to smoke from fire. You can find many smoke detectors that can also detect the odorless, but deadly carbon monoxide. Most rooms in the home should be equipped with a smoke detector. The number of smoke detectors in your home is determined by its size. Some areas may require several smoke detectors. All smoke detectors rely on batteries for power. Newly built homes will have smoke detectors already hooked to the electrical wiring, but they still contain a backup battery. Change your battery at least once a year, and check each smoke detector to make sure it works.

Heat detectors alert you to either a change in temperature or an increase in temperature. Rate-of-rise heat detectors measure the change in temperature over a short period of time. If the temperature rises too quickly, the alarm will sound regardless of the actual temperature in the air. Fixed temperature heat detectors will sound when the temperature in the home reaches a certain level.

Heat detectors cannot be used without a smoke detector because smoke is more likely to kill you than the flames. Smoke can also be detected first before flames are even present. Heat detectors are great to pair with smoke detectors since you can use heat detectors in the kitchen or other areas where smoke detectors would sound too easily. When choosing a heat detector, be sure to place the right one in a room where it will not be so sensitive. The fixed temperature heat detector may be more suitable in the kitchen since cooking can increase the temperature too quickly.

Sprinklers cannot alert you to smoke or heat, but they can come in handy when a fire does break out. Sprinkler systems release water when a designated temperature is reached. The individual sprinkler heads will only activate if the temperature below hits this designated temperature threshold. This means that the sprinkler heads closest to the fire will activate, allowing more water to extinguish the fire before it spreads to other areas.

Having a sprinkler system can cause water damage to your home during a fire, but not having one can cause more fire damage. Once the firefighters arrive, your home will be engulfed with flames, and they must use more water then what the sprinkler system would have used to put out the smaller fire.

Fire alarms have saved numerous lives. Smoke detectors are a necessary part of any fire alarm system. A combination of a smoke detector, heat detector, and sprinkler system can save property and lives.

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