Smoke detector safety
Did You Know?
- More than 4,000 Americans die each year in fires, and about 20,000 are injured. Many of them might be alive today if they had had a smoke detector in their home.
- Eighty-two percent of fire deaths occur in the home.
- Having a working smoke detector reduces your chances of dying in a fire by nearly 50 percent.
- Nearly one-third of residential fires and two-fifths of residential fire fatalities occur in houses with no smoke detectors.
Livesaving Tips
- Place a smoke detector on every level of your home and outside bedrooms. If you keep your bedroom doors closed, place a smoke detector in each bedroom.
- Check smoke detectors monthly by pushing the test button. If you cannot reach the button easily, use a broom handle.
- Change the batteries in your smoke detectors at least once a year, perhaps when you change your clocks for Daylight Saving Time and Standard Time.
- Teach children what the smoke alarm sounds like and what to do - leave the building immediately by crawling low under the smoke - when they hear it sound.
- If cook smoke sets off the alarm, do not disable it. Turn on the range fan, open a window, and wave a towel near the alarm.
- Smoke detectors wear out over time. Replace yours if it is 10 years old or more.
- Consider installing a 10-year lithium battery-powered smoke detector, which is sealed so it cannot be tampered with or opened.
- Hard-wired smoke detectors with battery back-ups need to be tested monthly and batteries replaced yearly.
Free Smoke Detector Program
- As part of the Signal All Family to Exit (S.A.F.E.) program, Volusia County Fire Services is offering free smoke detectors to residents in unincorporated Volusia County.
- The purpose of the S.A.F.E. program is to provide every resident in unincorporated Volusia County with a home smoke detector. A fire crew will visit the resident’s home and locate the appropriate place for the detector. The homeowner then is responsible for installation.
- After the initial visit, the crew will return to the residence at a later time to make sure the detector was installed correctly and functions properly.