What are Smoke Alarms?

A smoke alarm is a fire alarm that buzzes when it detects smoke or other products of combustion, warning you in time to escape.

Why are Smoke Alarms Important?

More than 80 deaths occur in Maryland homes each year from fire. Most people die from SMOKE and toxic gases rather than fire itself. Many never even wake up. Most fires happen in residential buildings between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., when most of the occupants are asleep. Most of the fire deaths in Maryland could be prevented.

What Should YOU Do?

Get a Smoke Alarm! There is no doubt Smoke Alarms save lives. If your home has a smoke alarm, you are only half as likely to die if there is a fire. You double your chances of surviving.

Almost half of the homes in Maryland are now protected by Smoke Alarms. It's the other half that is a concern. Do you have a Smoke Alarm in your home?

Are Smoke Alarms Expensive?

No! There are tested and approved units on the market for less than $10.

Choosing a Home Smoke Alarm

Check for the following:

• The Smoke Alarm must display the marking of a recognized independent testing laboratory such as Underwriters Lab (UL) etc. and be listed and approved for sale, installation and use in Maryland by the Office of the State Fire Marshal.
• Warning Signal - It warns you when bulbs or batteries need replacing.
• Easily replaceable batteries and bulb. Make sure batteries and bulbs are readily available for purchase and easy to install.
• Alarm Volume - The Smoke Alarm must be loud enough (85 decibel or louder) to wake a sleeping person behind a closed door. Special alarms are available for hard of hearing persons.
• Power Source - Battery powered models are easy to install, but batteries need regular checking and replacement. Electric powered models may require installation by a licensed electrician but need less attention.

Where Should You Install Smoke Alarms?

Where you install Smoke Alarms depends on the size and layout of your home, and on where the members of your family sleep.

Since the primary job of a Smoke Alarm is to awaken sleeping persons and warn them of urgent danger, the most critical requirement is to put your alarm as close as possible to the bedrooms. If two sleeping areas are separated by any significant distance, each should have its own alarm.

Next consider the probable path along which smoke would travel in your home. In single level homes, this usually means placing the alarm in the hallway off which the bedroom doors open. In a house where the bedrooms are upstairs, the alarm should be near the top of the stairs to the bedrooms.

The simplest rule for locating the first Smoke Alarm in your home should be between the bedrooms and the rest of the house, but closer to the bedrooms.

If you are installing multiple alarms, and you've put one near each sleeping area, it is a good idea to make certain there is one on each level of the house. The basement ceiling, near the steps to the rest of the house, is another good location.

Once The Proper Location Has Been Selected - What's The Right Position For The Smoke Alarm?

Check the instructions that come with your detector. Most will recommend installing Smoke Alarms on the ceiling, or on the walls between 6 and 12 inches below the ceiling. This not only takes advantage of the fact that most smoke rises, but puts the detector safely above accidental bumps and the inquiring hands of children.

Don't put the alarm within six inches of where the wall and ceiling meet, on either surface. This area has proven to be a "dead air" space that receives little air circulation.

On the other hand, excessive "clean" air flow across a alarm can keep smoke filled air from reaching the smoke chamber of the alarm. Avoid putting alarms too close to heating ducts and cold air returns.

Also avoid areas where nominal amounts of smoke may normally be present, such as kitchens or other cooking spaces, furnace rooms or near fireplaces or wood burning stoves.

Maintenance Is Important!

Your Smoke Alarm must be maintained properly to provide you and your family with protection.

How?

• Replace batteries and bulbs according to the manufacturer's instructions. Usually, the battery will last approximately six (6) months to one (1) year before needing replacement. Battery operated Smoke Alarms do require somewhat more maintenance, since batteries must be replaced at least once a year.
• Vacuum the grillwork of your alarm to remove dust, dirt, bugs and other debris which may prevent the alarm from working properly.
• Test your alarm periodically according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Plan and Practice For A Safe Escape

There's more to surviving a home fire than waking up before it's too late. People who wake up to the sound of a Smoke Alarm, including children and the elderly, are often confused, and may panic in the excitement. The safety of all may depend on knowing instinctively what to do.

If a Smoke Alarm is sounding, there is a reason. You and your family must be able to escape quickly and safely. Here are some steps your family can take:

• Draw up and rehearse a fire evacuation plan from your house.
• Know two (2) means of escape from any room in the house.
• Always check the door to see if it is hot before opening it to escape.
• If you must go through a smoke filled area crawl on hands and knees, there will be less smoke and heat at floor level.
• Decide on a prearranged location outside of the house to meet, so you can count occupants and be sure everyone is safe.
• Call 9-1-1 from a neighbor's house or the nearest phone outside of your house.
• NEVER return to the inside of a burning building.

More information is available on E.D.I.T.H. (Exit Drills in the Home) through this Office.

According to Maryland law, at least one operating Smoke Alarm must be installed is each residential occupancy including those constructed prior to July 1, 1975. The occupant of the home is responsible for the installation, maintenance and operation of the detector in 1, 2, and 3 family dwellings.

If a home was constructed between July 1, 1975 and January 1, 1989, at least one electric powered Smoke Alarm, permanently wired, is required to be installed in the sleeping area at the time of construction.

Homes or residential dwellings constructed between January 1, 1989 and July 1, 1990 are required by law to have Smoke Alarms installed outside of each separate sleeping area in the immediate vicinity of the bedrooms and on each additional story of the home, including the basement but excluding crawl spaces and unfinished attics. All Smoke Alarms in these multi-level residential properties must be electric powered and must be interconnected to alarm simultaneously.

For residential properties constructed after July 1, 1990, State law requires that these properties be protected by Smoke Alarms that operate by both electricity and battery. The only exemptions to this requirement are dwellings that are not provided with electric service.