FOR BREaAKING tNEWS VIhSIT WWWo.QNS.COmM e DECEMBER 10, 2020 •AT HOME • THE QUEENS COURIER 31
How to keep your home and family safe from fi res
According to the National Fire
Protection Association (NFPA), three out
of fi ve home fi re deaths result from fi res in
properties without working smoke alarms
- oft en due to missing alarm batteries or
expired alarms.
A new generation of home safety technology
- combined with tried-and-true
safety practices - can help keep homes
and families safer from the threat of home
fi res. Th e following are tips to keep your
family safe and healthy:
Be safe, replace: If you can’t think of
the last time you installed a smoke alarm,
chances are, it’s time to replace your old
ones. All smoke alarms - including battery
and hard-wired models - are tested
to function for 10 years. Installing new
alarms ensures you are protected with
the most advanced smoke-sensing technologies
and latest safety features available.
Conversely, by neglecting to replace
alarms, you could be putting yourself,
your family or tenants at serious risk.
Go for a 10: One of the greatest
advancements in smoke alarm technology
in recent years has been the development
of new 10-year sealed battery smoke
alarms, such as First Alert’s 10-Year Atom
Smoke & Fire Alarm, which consumers
have used to add fi re protection to their
homes. Th e Atom features an advanced
smoke entry system designed to reduce
the chances of false alarms, along with
a loud, penetrating siren. In addition,
10-year alarms provide hassle-free protection
so homeowners, property owners
and renters no longer need to remember
to replace costly batteries for the life of
their alarms. Th ey also eliminate the risk
of having an alarm deactivated due to battery
removal.
In many areas of the country, upgrading
to 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms
is also the law. Several states, including
California, Florida, Georgia, Maryland,
Louisiana, New York and Oregon, as well
as the cities of Phoenix, Philadelphia,
Indianapolis, Milwaukee and New York
City, have passed laws requiring 10-year
battery smoke alarms in residential buildings.
Other states and municipalities are
considering similar legislation.
Double-up on safety: Th ere are two
main types of smoke alarms - photoelectric
and ionization - which utilize different
technologies to sense smoke and
fi re. Ionization smoke alarms are more
responsive to fast-fl aming fi res, while
photoelectric smoke alarms are generally
more responsive to fi res that begin with a
long period of smoldering (called “smoldering
fi res”). Rather than relying solely
on one, install both - or a dual-sensor
alarm - to maximize your protection. Th e
NFPA and other safety advocates recommend
having dual-sensor alarms because
they provide the best potential for early
detection of all types of common household
fi res.
Th e First Alert 10-Year Alarm Life Dual
Sensor Smoke & Fire Alarm provides the
peace of mind of a dual-sensor alarm
with the convenience of a 10-year sealed
lithium battery. Th e alarm better detects
real threats and helps to combat false
or “nuisance” alarms that may lead to
device deactivation - all while providing
a decade of protection without battery
replacement. It also signals an end-oflife
warning, notifying consumers when it
needs replacement.
Cover your bases: Even if you have
smoke alarms in your home, you and your
family may not be suffi ciently protected if
you don’t have enough devices. To ensure
the highest level of protection from smoke
and carbon monoxide, the NFPA recommends
installing smoke alarms at the top
of each staircase and in every bedroom
or sleeping area. To put this into perspective,
the average-sized home in America -
a two-story, three-bedroom house - needs
a minimum of fi ve smoke alarms.
To learn more about 10-year alarms and
alarm laws in your state, and for more tips
for protecting your family from smoke,
fi re and carbon monoxide, visit http://
www.fi rstalert.com.
Courtesy BPT
/WWWo.QNS.COm
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