This is off topic, and I am a Firefighter, but here goes.  

Forty people lost their lives in fires last weekend in the United States.  Nine people lost their lives in my state.

Check your smoke alarms, and make sure they have fresh batteries.  If you do not have smoke alarms get them.

Thanks for the reminder!  We usually check batteries when Daylight Savings Time goes on or off.  Don't know what people in Arizona do... <g>

diana

Yea for Napster (the former) and all the other firefighters!!  I had to call firefighters when I had knee surgery and I was going into shock because the pain meds. weren't working.  I apologized to my roommate for the disturbance but she didn't care because we think firefighters are, well, hot (pun intended).

Vicki


_________________
That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

....



Last edited by another_guest on Tue Oct 31, 2006 9:34 pm; edited 1 time in total

In Ontario, Canada it is now law that every residence must have a smoke alarm on each floor of the house or you will be fined. Minimum fine is $250.00. A recent problem though has just come to light regarding kids and smoke alarms. An interesting study was done and found that when smoke alarms are triggered kids do not wake up to them.     I found that hard to believe myself but may have something to do with the stage of sleep they are in Here is a link to the test done on that.

link

Current codes FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION require smoke detectors within 10 feet of the door of a "sleeping room," (outside the room), and one inside the room.  The detectors are required to be connected so that both activate.  Retrofits are availabe that can be interconnected wirelessly, as well as the ones that can be wired together, work primarily off household electrical current and have battery backup.

In addition to the "mommy's voice" detectors demonstrated on the link, there are detectors that activate "bed shakers" and others that flash strobe lights for hearing impaired people (like us old firefighters who spent too many years ruining our hearing with sirens and air horns when we were young, foolish, and too stubborn to use hearing protection).

My fire department recieved a grant to install smoke detectors in the homes of elderly citizens that have batteries that are supposed to last ten years.

The general recommendation is to replace all smoke detectors every ten years, but my department recommends a five year replacement cycle.

....



Last edited by another_guest on Tue Oct 31, 2006 9:34 pm; edited 1 time in total

Quote:

Napster (the former) posts - Current codes FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION require smoke detectors within 10 feet of the door of a "sleeping room," (outside the room), and one inside the room. The detectors are required to be connected so that both activate.

Current building codes can and do vary city to city. Building code is a minimal standard with cities adding codes as required. For example, building code specifies outdoor taps but a city like the one I live in says that reverse flow restrictors must be installed as well. Our smoke alarm requirement has been one on every floor of new housing for about 10 years but now this is an all residences law, province wide including apartment/condo and cottages. The fire department recommends one smoke alarm in every bedroom plus one on every floor but the every bedroom smoke alarm is optional. Interconnecting existing smoke alarms is just too expensive and if you were to buy new ones it would be in your best interests to get wireless ones.

My smoke alarms are 15 years old and still function as good as when they were first purchased. They have a low battery alarm that will sound off every 5 seconds or so for a week. First Alert use to make an alarm that had a sensor that would clog up, hence the suggested requirement for either changing the unit or the sensor. Pushing the "push to test" button is not a good function test. It only indicates that the alarm will emit sound. An actual smoke test is a better indicator that your alarm is working.

An actual smoke test is a better indicator that your alarm is working.[/quote]

I do this every time I cook bacon!  rotflol!

Napster,

Would you give us the link you mentioned about "mommy's voice"?

Nancy

Hey Napster,

I went through my house and checked my alarms as you suggested, 2 of the 9  had dead batteries, I changed them all and added a note in my computer to remind me to change them again in 6 months.  Thank you.  My question is that I also have 2 alarms that are hardwired,  do these need to be checked?  If so, how do I do that.  We just bought this home 10 months ago and are not sure what to do about these two alarms, do they work as well as the others??  Should we put battery ones close by to back them up??  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Also, I read about the mommy alarm, but how do I get some.....I feel they would be best outside my children's rooms.  Could you PM me the link in looking into these mommy alarms please?

Thank You for your important advise
Madre


_________________
Believe in yourself--you are fantastic!!

Just a thought on those smoke alarms-
It is especially important for anyone on CPAP to keep good batteries
in their smoke alarms because we cannot smell smoke at all when using the machine!!!!
I can't even smell my coffee brewing in the morning anymore (which I have set up to start before my alarm clock goes off).
The smell of smoke sometimes has been known to wake up people
who are asleep when a fire happens.If you can't smell smoke and your smoke alarm
doesn't work due to old batteries,you could be in trouble if a fire starts when you are asleep.
Also,it makes sense to have someone set the alarm off while you are asleep using your CPAP to see if the smoke alarm can be heard over your CPAP machine.If you can't hear it,it can't save your life.
-Rapunzel111


_________________
Masks are like a box of chocolate-
You never know what you're gonna get !