Friday, December 18, 2009

Fire Alarms Need To Be Inspected Regularly

By Jason Williams

The old saying "Out of sight, out of mind" can be applied to fire alarms. Usually you forget you have them till you burn the popcorn and fill the home with black smoke. You then run round the house trying to shut off the alarm. Shutting them off by unplugging them or taking out the battery is not a good idea. Chances are you will not go back and plug them back in. They cannot do their job if they aren't plugged in.

Fire alarms are often something we forget about but will be glad to know we have if there ever comes a time that you need it. There are several kinds of fire alarms. There are the battery operated kinds that simply hang on the wall. There are also the kind that plug into the wall; these are not nearly as popular. Hard wired fire alarms are wired into your homes electrical system.

Many hard wired fire alarm systems are connected to a monitoring system. These are often part of the alarm system for your home. These are designed to send a signal to the alarm service to let them know you have an alarm going off. These services will attempt to verify that the alarm is an authentic concern.

In the case of an emergency they will contact the authorities. Many fire departments will charge if they come out to a false alarm. While others may give you the first one free. Either way it is a good idea to let the monitoring service know that you just brunt the popcorn in the microwave rather than have the fire department come out.

These alarm services provide you with a home monitoring service that will typically provide you fire alarm and home alarm system monitoring. They may also provide services designed to help you if you should injure yourself and be alone. This live help can be contacted by a button carried on a necklace or bracelet. Pressing of the button will inform someone with the service that you are in danger and need help.

You should check your fire alarms on a regular basis. Burning popcorn in the microwave is not the recommended method. There is a test button on most alarms; this button should be pressed to make sure they are working. You should also replace the batteries once every 3 months. A dead battery will do you no good in the case of a fire.

There should be an alarm in your home. It is a good idea to have several fire alarms in your home. If you have more than one floor then each floor should have one. If your home is spread out over one floor such as a ranch style home, then you should have at least one on each end. It is also a good idea to put one in every bedroom.

About the Author:

No comments: