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Change Your Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector Batteries
10/30/2009 - Released by Fire Department
For more information contact SteveMacDonald
Boston Fire Commissioner Roderick J. Fraser, Jr. urges all to change your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector batteries when you change your clocks. As the time change approaches on Saturday evening, October 31, 2009, Boston Fire Commissioner Roderick J. Fraser, Jr. wants to remind all residents to make another change that could save their lives-changing the batteries in their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. At the same time, make sure that they are in good working order. Almost six thousand lives are lost every year due to residential fires. Most of these deaths are from smoke inhalation. Of these deaths, three-fifth occurs in homes without working smoke detectors. Because the majority of fatal fires occur at night when people are asleep, working smoke detectors can mean the difference between life and death. Smoke detectors sound an early warning if there is a fire, waking people before they are overcome by smoke and giving them time to escape. Installing smoke detectors in your home could save your life if a fire should break out while you and your family are asleep. Make sure that the smoke detectors you install bear the label of an independent testing laboratory. Quality not price should be the determining factor when buying smoke detectors. The Boston Fire Department recommends photoelectric smoke detectors as they have a greater ability to detect smoldering fires or fires further from the detector. Smoke detectors are powered either by batteries or they are wired into the household electrical system. There also are some units that use household current but also have a battery back-up system that kicks in if there is a power failure. All approved smoke detectors, regardless of type, will offer adequate protection provided they are installed and maintained properly. States Commissioner Fraser, “Placing a smoke detector outside each sleeping area and on every level of the house including the basement and attic offers the best protection for you and your family.” On floors without bedrooms, detectors should be placed in or near living areas, such as dens, living rooms or family rooms. Homes are also required to have carbon monoxide (CO) detectors. They must be placed on each level of the home within ten feet of bedroom doors. Be sure everyone sleeping in your home can hear both detectors’ alarms. The hearing impaired can be aided by special smoke detectors for people with hearing impairments; these flash a light in addition to sounding an audible alarm. For extra protection, smoke detectors can be placed in dining and utility rooms. Smoke detectors are not recommended for kitchens, bathrooms, or garages where cooking fumes, steam, or exhaust fumes could set off false alarms. Most battery-powered smoke and carbon monoxide detectors can be installed safely by following the manufacturer’s instruction. A qualified electrician must install hard-wired smoke detectors. Smoke detectors can either be mounted on the ceiling or on a wall. Wall-mounted smoke detectors should be installed so that the top of the detector is at least 4 –12 inches from the ceiling. Units mounted on the ceiling should be at least 4 inches from the nearest wall. In rooms with pitched ceiling, mount the detector at or near the ceiling’s highest point. Do not install a smoke detector too close to windows or doors as drafts could interfere with the detector’s operation. Only properly functioning smoke and carbon monoxide detectors can alert you and your family. Never disable a detector by removing the battery. Test all detectors monthly and install new batteries in the spring and fall when you change the time on your clock. Clean your detectors regularly without removing the detector covers. Never paint your detectors and replace detectors that are more than 10 years old. Make sure that everyone is familiar with the sound of the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. When either of these detectors sound, call 9-1-1, leave the home and wait for the fire department arrival outside. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are proven lifesavers. Make sure yours are in good working order today. They can save lives. REMEMBER • Test detectors monthly • Keep detectors clean • Change batteries spring and fall

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