Smoke Alarm - Kidde KN-COSM-IBA User Manual

Features and General Information

Smoke Alarm

The smoke alarm monitors the air for products of combustion
that are produced when something is burning or smoldering.
When smoke particles in the smoke sensor reach a specified
concentration, the alarm/voice message warning system will
sound, and be accompanied by the flashing red LED light. The
smoke alarm takes precedence when both smoke and carbon
monoxide are present.
WARNING: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AND
!
THOROUGHLY
NFPA 72 states: Life safety from fire in residential occupancies is
based primarily on early notification to occupants of the need to
escape, followed by the appropriate egress actions by those
occupants. Fire warning systems for dwelling units are capable of
protecting about half of the occupants in potentially fatal fires.
Victims are often intimate with the fire, too old or young, or
physically or mentally impaired such tha t they cannot escape
even when warned early enough that escape should be possible.
For these people, other strategies such as protection-in-place or
assisted escape or rescue are necessary.
• Smoke alarms are devices that can provide early warning of
possible fires at a reasonable cost; however, alarms have
sensing limitations.
invisible fire particles (associated with fast flaming fires) sooner
than photoelectric alarms. Photoelectric sensing alarms may
detect visible fire particles (associated with slow smoldering
fires) sooner than ionization alarms. Home fires develop in
different ways and are often unpredictable. For maximum
protection, Kidde recommends that both Ionization and
Photoelectric alarms be installed.
• A battery powered alarm must have a battery of the specified
type, in good condition and installed properly.
• Smoke alarms must be tested regularly to make sure the
batteries and the alarm circuits are in good operating
condition.
• Smoke alarms cannot provide an alarm if smoke does not
reach the alarm. Therefore, smoke alarms may not sense fires
starting in chimneys, walls, on roofs, on the other side of a
closed door or on a different floor.
6
Ionization sensing alarms may detect