Special Compliance Considerations; About Smoke Alarms - First Alert PC910 User Manual

BASIC SAFETY INFORMATION
• Dangers, Warnings, and Cautions alert you to important
operating instructions or to potentially hazardous situations.
Pay special attention to these items.
• This Smoke/CO Alarm is approved for use in single-family
residences. It is NOT designed for marine or RV use.
• This combination Smoke/Carbon Monoxide Alarm has two
separate alarms. The CO Alarm is not designed to detect fire
or any other gas. It will only indicate the presence of carbon
monoxide gas at the sensor. Carbon monoxide gas may be
present in other areas. The Smoke Alarm will only indicate
the presence of smoke that reaches the sensor. The Smoke
Alarm is not designed to sense gas, heat or flames.
• This unit will not operate without battery power. The Smoke/
CO Alarm cannot work until you activate the battery power
pack.
• NEVER ignore any alarm. See "If Your Smoke/CO Alarm
Sounds" for more information on how to respond to an
alarm. Failure to respond can result in injury or death.
• The Silence Features are for your convenience only and will
not correct a problem. See "Using the Silence Features" for
details. Always check your home for a potential problem
after any alarm. Failure to do so can result in injury or death.
• Test this Smoke/CO Alarm once a week. If the Alarm ever
fails to test correctly, have it replaced immediately! If the
Alarm is not working properly, it cannot alert you to a prob-
lem.
• This product is intended for use in ordinary indoor loca-
tions of family living units. It is not designed to measure CO
levels in compliance with Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) commercial or industrial standards.
Individuals with medical conditions that may make them
more sensitive to carbon monoxide may consider using
warning devices which provide audible and visual signals
for carbon monoxide concentrations under 30 ppm. For
additional information on carbon monoxide and your medical
condition contact your physician.
SYMPTOMS OF CO POISONING
These symptoms are related to CO POISONING and should be
discussed with ALL household members.
Mild Exposure: Slight headache, nausea, vomiting, fatigue ("flu-like"
symptoms).
Medium Exposure: Throbbing headache, drowsiness, confusion, fast
heart rate.
Extreme Exposure: Convulsions, unconsciousness, heart and lung
failure. Exposure to Carbon Monoxide can cause brain damage, death.
This CO Alarm measures exposure to CO over time. It alarms if CO
levels are extremely high in a short period of time, or if CO levels reach
a certain minimum over a long period of time. The CO Alarm generally
sounds an alarm before the onset of symptoms in average, healthy
adults. Why is this important? Because you need to be warned of a
potential CO problem while you can still react in time. In many reported
cases of CO exposure, victims may be aware that they are not feeling
well, but become disoriented and can no longer react well enough to
exit the building or get help. Also, young children and pets may be the
first affected. The average healthy adult might not feel any symptoms
when the CO Alarm sounds. However, people with cardiac or respiratory
problems, infants, unborn babies, pregnant mothers, or elderly people
can be more quickly and severely affected by CO. If you experience
even mild symptoms of CO poisoning, consult your doctor immediately!

ABOUT SMOKE ALARMS

Battery (DC) operated Smoke Alarms: Provide protection even when
electricity fails, provided the batteries are fresh and correctly installed.
Units are easy to install, and do not require professional installation.
AC powered Smoke Alarms: Can be interconnected so if one unit
senses smoke, all units alarm. They do not operate if electricity fails.
AC with battery (DC) back-up: will operate if electricity fails, provided
the batteries are fresh and correctly installed. AC and AC/DC units
must be installed by a qualified electrician.
Smoke/CO Alarms for Solar or Wind Energy users and battery
backup power systems: AC powered Smoke/CO Alarms should only
be operated with true or pure sine wave inverters. Operating this Alarm
with most battery-powered UPS (uninterruptible power supply) products
or square wave or "quasi sine wave" inverters will damage the Alarm.
If you are not sure about your inverter or UPS type, please consult with
the manufacturer to verify.
Smoke Alarms for the hearing impaired: Special purpose Smoke
Alarms should be installed for the hearing impaired. They include a
visual alarm and an audible alarm horn, and meet the requirements of
the Americans With Disabilities Act. Can be interconnected so if one unit
senses smoke, all units alarm.
Smoke alarms are not to be used with detector guards unless the
combination has been evaluated and found suitable for that purpose.
All these Smoke Alarms are designed to provide early warning of fires
if located, installed and cared for as described in the user's manu-
al, and if smoke reaches the Alarm. If you are unsure which type of
Smoke Alarm to install, refer the National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA) Standard 72 (National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code) and
NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code). National Fire Protection Association,
One Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02269-9101. Local building codes
may also require specific units in new construction or in different areas
of the home.

SPECIAL COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS

This Smoke Alarm is suitable for use in apartments, condominiums,
townhouses, hospitals, day care facilities, health care facilities, boarding
houses, group homes and dormitories provided a primary fire detection
system already exists to meet fire detection requirements in common
areas like lobbies, hallways, or porches. Using this Smoke Alarm in
common areas may not provide sufficient warning to all residents or
meet local fire protection ordinances/regulations.
This Smoke Alarm alone is not a suitable substitute for complete fire
detection systems in places housing many people—like apartment
buildings, condominiums, hotels, motels, dormitories, hospitals, health
care facilities, nursing homes, day care facilities, or group homes of
any kind. It is not a suitable substitute for complete fire detection
systems in warehouses, industrial facilities, commercial buildings, and
special-purpose non-residential buildings which require special fire
detection and alarm systems. Depending on the building codes in your
area, this Smoke Alarm may be used to provide additional protection in
these facilities.
In new construction, most building codes require the use of AC or AC/
DC powered Smoke Alarms only. In existing construction, AC, AC/DC,
or DC powered Smoke Alarms can be used as specified by local build-
ing codes. Refer to NFPA 72 (National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code)
and NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code), local building codes, or consult your
Fire Department for detailed fire protection requirements in buildings not
defined as "households".
HUD MAP Program
Certain HUD battery powered Smoke Alarm applications, especial-
ly those that fall under HUD 223(f) MAP (Multi-family Accelerated
Processing), may require a 10 Year sealed tamper resistant battery.
This alarm does not meet that requirement. Substitute First Alert
SA340B.
FCC Compliance
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for
a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC rules. These
limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful
interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses
and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used
in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to
radio communications.
However, there is no guarantee that the interference will not occur in a
particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference
to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning
the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the
interference by one or more of the following measures:
• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
• Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that
of the receiver.
• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio or TV technician for
help.
Warning: Changes or modifications to the product, not expressly
approved by First Alert / BRK Brands, Inc., could void the user's
authority to operate the equipment.
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is
subject to the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause
harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.