Ever Thought About Your Smoke Detector

At Top Hat Chimney Sweeps, we are in the business of keeping your home warm and safe. But sometimes accidents happen.

The phone rings and you are loading wood in the fireplace. You get distracted. Before you've notice it the rug in the living room begins to smolder. Maybe you're not in the room. Without a smoke detector you may not know there is an issue. A potentially grave issue.

In 1915, people living in homes or apartments could expect that if their home caught fire, they’d have a one in ten chance of that fire killing them.

The Life Safety Code (NFPA 101) was passed by the NFPA in 1976, and was the first document that stated “smoke alarms are required” to be in every home. By 1980, an estimated 50% of all homes in the U.S. reported having working alarms.

Thankfully, codes now mandate smoke detectors in several areas of your home. The problem is, not all homes are new.

Many people are also not aware that smoke detectors have components that do not operate properly when the smoke detector is over 10 years old.

Being in the life safety business (chimney sweeps), we recognize the importance of a smoke detectors.  The death rate per 1,000 reported home fires was more than twice as high in homes that did not have any working smoke alarms compared to the rate in homes with working smoke alarms (12.3 deaths vs. 5.7 deaths per 1,000 fires).

What is sad is that people have not been taught what to do when their smoke detector goes off and they see smoke in their home. Notice that close to 6 deaths for every 1,000 fires still occurs when people have smoke detectors.

According to Kiddy, the leading manufacturer of smoke detectors, there are several things you should do. 

• Never ignore the sound of an alarm!
• When the alarm senses products of combustion and goes into alarm mode, the pulsating alarm will continue until the air is cleared. If the alarm goes off, check for fires first. If a fire is discovered, follow the steps below.
• Alert small children in the home.
• Leave immediately by your escape plan. Every second counts, so don't waste time getting dressed or picking up valuables.
• In leaving, do not open any inside door without first feeling its surface. If hot, or if you see smoke seeping through cracks, do not open that door! Instead, use your alternate exit. If the inside of the door is cool, place your shoulder against it, open it slightly, and be ready to slam it shut if heat and smoke rush in.
• Stay close to the floor if the air is smoky. Breathe shallowly through a cloth, wet if possible.
• Once outside, go to your selected meeting place and make sure everyone is there.
• Call the fire department from your neighbor's home.
• Do not return to your home until the fire officials say that it is alright to do so.

Let me tell you a true story from several years ago. I was finishing up servicing a fireplace and called the attention of the homeowner. I was reviewing the importance of three items that should be in every home. I asked her if she had a working smoke detector and she said yes. I asked her if she had a fire escape plan and she said "Yes… get out". Then I asked her about her fire extinguisher and she said she had one. Just at that time, the smoke detector close to the kitchen went off. She ran in the kitchen and yelled "the kitchen is on fire". She had left some oil in a pan on the stove and I had kept her attention too long. The cabinets had started to burn. I asked where her fire extinguisher was and she opened the drawer and handed it to me. It was a cheap little fire extinguisher with no pressure gauge to tell you if it worked. It was also the wrong kind of smoke detector. It was tested as a BC fire extinguisher which means it only works on flammable liquids and electrical fires. When I pressed the button on the fire extinguisher It just went"pssst". I told her to run outside and call the fire department. She was the only one at home. I ran to my van and grabbed my fire extinguisher and quickly crawled along the floor inside the home to attempt to put out the fire. I had no idea if I had extinguished the fire because the house was full of smoke. All of this took less than 60 seconds. While outside after waiting about 20 minutes, I finally said to her "Something's not right. We have a great fire department here and they should have been here by now." She looked at me and said "I  was too embarrassed to call the fire department". Being a polite Southern gentleman, I resisted the urge to cuss her out. It was just my thought in that moment. I was very scared.

The fire department, like the police department are here to protect and serve. Notice above that it says in the recommendations to call the fire department after you have exited the home. Had I not been successful in extinguishing the fire her house would have burnt down.

Check your smoke detectors today. You should have one in every bedroom and main living areas. They are not recommended to be installed directly inside a kitchen where nuisance alarms can set them off.