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6. Recommended Locations For Smoke Alarms
• Locate smoke alarms in all sleeping areas. Try to monitor the exit path as the bedrooms
are usually farthest from the exit. If more than one sleeping area exists, locate
additional alarms in each sleeping area.
• Locate additional alarms in stairways, because stairways act like chimneys for smoke
and heat.
• Locate at least one alarm on every floor level.
• Locate an alarm in every bedroom.
• Locate an alarm in every room where electrical appliances are operated (i.e. portable
heaters or humidifiers).
• Locate an alarm in every room where someone sleeps with the door closed. The closed
door may prevent an alarm not located in that room from waking the sleeper.
• Smoke, heat, and combustion products rise to the ceiling and spread horizontally.
Mounting the smoke alarm on the ceiling in the center of the room places it closest to
all points in the room. Ceiling mounting is preferred in ordinary residential construc-
tion.
NFPA 72 states: "Smoke alarms in rooms with ceiling slopes greater than 1 ft in 8 ft (.3m in
2.4 m) horizontally shall be located on the high side of the room." NFPA 72 states: "A row of
detectors shall be spaced and located within 3 ft (0.9m) of the peak of the ceiling measured
horizontally."
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