Your Home Needs THIS Many Fire Alarms and Other Facts That May Surprise You

7/17/2019 (Permalink)

If you're like the average American, your home has one fire alarm, two tops, and that's not enough. According to one survey, Americans need to equip their homes with another 100 million smoke alarms to be fully protected.

It's not enough to have working alarms, though. You also need to know how to react when an alarm goes off. Test your fire safety knowledge by attempting to answer the questions below.

Q: How Many Fire Alarms Should the Average Home Have?

A: The National Fire Protection Association recommends placing one alarm in every bedroom, one outside each sleeping area and one on every level of the home. So, if your home has three bedrooms and two stories, you need a minimum of five fire alarms.

Q: What Type of Fire Alarm Should You Install in Your Home?

A: An ionization alarm sounds when a fast-moving fire occurs while a photoelectric alarm detects smoke damage and smoldering fires. Because you cannot anticipate what type of fire will move through your home, you need both types of detectors.

Q: How Often Should You Replace Your Fire Detector?

A: Everyone knows to replace their batteries after one year or when they start chirping, but how often should you replace the fire detector itself? Do you need to do it annually, every five to seven years or every eight to 10 years? The answer is every eight to 10 years.

Q: How Many Minutes Do You Have to Escape a House Fire?

A: Had you asked a fire damage professional 10 or 20 years ago, he or she might have said you have between 20 and 30 minutes to get out. The reality is you have between three and four minutes to get out of a house that's on fire. This short timeframe is why it is so important to have smoke detectors throughout your home.

This information is not meant to alarm you but simply to inform you. If you only have one fire alarm, go out and buy four more. For more safety tips, talk to your Elmhurst, IL fire department.