Smoking Out the Facts About Home Fire Detection

Fire is a deadly threat to any household. It can strike anywhere, at any time. The frightening truth is that in 2005, there were nearly 381,000 home fires in the U.S. resulting in over 16,000 injuries and deaths combined*. You must be prepared by using the tools for fire protection.

Smoke alarms provide a warning of fire. Smoke alarms are the easiest, most cost-efficient way to alert your family of a developing fire. The more smoke alarms you have installed in your home, the more your chances increase that you will be alerted to a fire.

Fire extinguishers provide a tool to fight small fires. Having a fire extinguisher in your home can increase your chances of keeping a small fire from getting out of control and becoming a deadly rage.

Using both smoke alarms and fire extinguishers in your home, along with knowing what to do in case of fire, can help save your life! Fire can be a preventable tragedy!

What do I need to know about fire?

Fire can and might happen to you! You must be prepared and have the knowledge to escape safely. Fire is darker, smokier, hotter, and faster than you can imagine. You must know what fire is like to increase the chances of a safe escape. The following are four important facts to remember:

1. Smoke is dark. Most people expect fire to be light. For this reason, people have been trapped in their homes because they could not find their way out in the dark -- they didn't have a flashlight and didn't practice an escape plan.

2. Smoke can be deadly. Since most fire fatalities occur between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. when most people are sleeping -- the only thing standing between the deadly fumes of fire and a safe escape maybe the piercing sound of a smoke alarm.

3. Fire has intense heat. Fire can cause the temperature to rise several hundred degrees in just seconds. The heat is so intense that it can cause the human body to stop functioning altogether - -one breath can cause severe lung damage. The heat alone can cause someone to become unconscious and not be able to escape. Escape time can be valuable.

4. Time is critical. A residential home can be totally consumed in flames in less than five minutes from the start of a fire! A home fire can double in size is just 30 seconds.* You must know what to do in order to help get you and your family out safely. A closed door is often the best way to stall a fire; by closing the door, you may save yourself seconds to use an alternate escape route.

I have one smoke alarm in my home. Is that enough protection against fire?

No, several smoke alarms and fire extinguishers must be installed and maintained for proper fire protection. The NFPA recommends smoke alarms be installed on every level of the home, and inside every bedroom and sleeping area. Smoke alarms should also be installed in the main corridor outside each bedroom area. Fire extinguishers should be installed on each living level, as well as in rooms that pose potential fire hazards (i.e., kitchen, garage, workshop).

Installing and maintaining smoke alarms and fire extinguishers dramatically increases your family's chances of surviving a fire.