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5. Limitations Of Smoke Alarms
WaRNiNG: PlEaSE REad CaREFUlly aNd ThOROUGhly
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Life safety from fire in residential occupancies is based primarily on early notification to occupants of the need to
escape, followed by the appropriate egress actions by those occupants.
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There are situations where a smoke alarm may not be effective to protect against fire as stated in the NFPA
Standard 72. For instance:
a) smoking in bed
b) leaving children home alone
c) cleaning with flammable liquids, such as gasoline
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Fire warning systems for dwelling units are capable of protecting about half of the occupants in potentially fatal
fires. A smoke alarm may not be effective in some situations, such as during incendiary fires where the fire grows so
rapidly that an occupant’s egress is blocked even with properly located smoke alarms, or when victims are intimate
with the fire (for example, when a person’s clothes catch fire while cooking), too old or young, or physically or
mentally impaired such that they cannot escape even when warned early enough that escape should be possible.
For these people, additional strategies such as protection-in-place or assisted escape or rescue are necessary.
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For maximum detection of the various types of fires that can occur within the home, including fast flaming and
slow smoldering, it is recommended that multi criteria smoke alarms be installed. This model meets the latest
residential smoke alarm standards, which includes enhanced resistance to nuisance alarms from cooking.
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A battery powered alarm must have a battery of the specified type, in good condition and installed properly (this
model has a sealed battery).
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Smoke alarms must be tested regularly to make sure the battery and the alarm circuits are in good operating
condition.
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Smoke alarms cannot provide an alarm if smoke does not reach the alarm. Therefore, smoke alarms may not sense
fires starting in chimneys, within walls, on roofs, on the other side of a closed door or other obstruction.
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If the alarm is located outside the bedroom or on a different floor, it may not wake up a sound sleeper.
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The use of alcohol or drugs may also impair one’s ability to hear the smoke alarm. For maximum protection, a
smoke alarm should be installed in each sleeping area on every level of a home.
This alarm is not intended to alert hearing impaired individuals.
