The EVFD Stresses the Importance of Working Smoke Alarms

During National Fire Prevention Week and throughout the year, the EVFD stresses the importance of having working smoke alarms in every home.

Smoke Alarms

Although 97 percent of homes have a smoke alarm, more than one third of them are inoperable because the batteries have been removed or are not working. Most of them have been disabled due to nuisance alarms caused by cooking vapors or steam from the bathroom.

Many smoke alarms now are made with a hush feature that allows the occupant to quiet the alarm for a short period of time, such as while cooking, eliminating the need to remove batteries.

If you are shopping for a new alarm, the EVFD Fire Safety Education Unit recommends photoelectric or photoelectric/ionization smoke alarms, because they are less sensitive to nuisance alarms. They also will alert occupants to smoldering fires more quickly than the more common ionization alarms.

Smoke alarms with a 10-year lithium battery also are recommended for elderly people or people who have difficulty changing the smoke alarm batteries twice a year.