Limitations Of Smoke Alarms - Kidde P4010ACLEDSCOCA User Manual

3. Limitations of Smoke Alarms

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 that 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.
• Leading authorities recommend that both ionization and
photoelectric smoke alarms be installed to help ensure maximum
detection of the various types of fires that can occur within the
home. Ionization sensing alarms may detect 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.
• A battery powered alarm must have a battery of the specified
type, in good condition and installed properly (This model has a
sealed backup battery).
• Smoke alarms must be tested regularly to make sure the battery
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.
• If the alarm is located outside the bedroom or on a different floor,
it may not wake up a sound sleeper.
• The use of alcohol or drugs may also impair one's ability to hear
the smoke alarm. For maximum protection, a smoke alarm should
be installed in each sleeping area on every level of a home.