Smoke Alarms

Did You Know...

Working smoke alarms decrease the chances of dying in a home fire by 50%.
In today’s fires, families have an average of 2 minutes to get out of their homes once the smoke alarm sounds.
120 fire deaths occurred across North Carolina in 2020, and in many of those homes did not have working smoke alarms.
3 out of every 5 home fire deaths across the nation result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
Dead batteries cause 25% of the smoke alarm failures; hardwired power source problems cause 7% of the failures.

Place a smoke alarm on every level of your home outside sleeping areas. If bedroom doors are kept shut, place a smoke alarm in each bedroom.
Teach children what a smoke alarm sounds like and what to do when they hear it.
Prepare and practice an escape plan – know at least two ways to get out of a room, crawl low under smoke and plan where to meet outside.
Keep smoke alarms clean by regularly vacuuming over and around it. Dust and debris can interfere with the smoke alarms operation.
Install smoke alarms away from windows, doors, or ducts that can interfere with proper operation.
Never remove the battery from or disable a smoke alarm. If your smoke alarm is sounding “nuisance alarms,” try moving it away from kitchens or bathrooms.
Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old.

This page was last modified on 11/29/2021