Why You Need A Residential Fire Detector

Article Written By: Todd Cavanaugh

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports that there are more than 20,000 injuries as a result of home fires every year and 4,000 to 5,000 deaths. They list the leading causes of residential fires in single and two-family homes as (1) heating, 31%, (2) cooking, 15%, and (3) incendiary or suspicious, 10%. 83% of home fires start in the living room and 20.8% in the bedroom. Only 1.5% began in heating equipment areas.

Further, they found that of all fires that caused multiple deaths, 81% occurred at night, when people were sleeping. According to the U.S. Fire Administration nearly half of all people killed in multiple-death fires were preschool age children or older adults (over 65). At least half of these deaths, they estimate, could have been prevented if the homeowner had invested in a fire detector.

Security and fire professionals generally recommend a installation of both smoke sensors and heat sensors. Motion sensors commonly part of a security system will respond to the movement of smoke and flame. This can help you quickly determine where the fire is early on. Glass-break detectors will alert you when heat in some part of the house reaches a level that will break a window. This fire detector system can help you exit the home safely.

Correctly placing the sensors for your fire detector system is just as important as having the sensors in the house. Government specifications recommend at minimum one smoke sensor outside each area of the house where there are bedrooms and one smoke detector on every level of the house (including the basement).

Beyond the minimal fire detector recommendation for smoke alarms, there are other important recommendations:

- Install a photo-electric smoke detector in the bedroom of any family member who smokes.

- a heat detector in any bedroom where portable heating devices are used or other small appliances

- heat sensors make sense in the dining room, kitchen, heating equipment room, utility room and garage.

Placing and programming the heat tolerance of heat sensors and smoke alarms should take the following into consideration:

- sensors in the kitchen can cause false alarms if you are doing a lot of cooking or if you burn something

- garage temperatures, especially if the garage is not insulated, can rise to extreme levels

- Neither type of sensor should be positioned in front of air registers, windows or doors.

The last point to remember is that your fire detector system should be monitored, just like your security system. This results in the earliest possible notification of your local fire department if there is a fire.

By working carefully with your home security professional you can select and properly position all components of a comprehensive fire detector system and ensure the safety of your family and property.

About the Author

Todd Cavanaugh is a ten-year home security business owner. His company installs pre-wired and wireless monitored security systems, 24-hour surveillance cameras, access control systems and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. how to choose a fire detector.

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