Limitations Of Smoke And Carbon Monoxide Alarms - Kidde 30CUA10-V User Manual

6. Limitations Of Smoke And Carbon Monoxide Alarms

WARnInG: PLEASE READ cAREFULLY AnD tHoRoUGHLY
• 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.
• There are situations where a smoke alarm may not be effective to protect against fire as stated in the
NFPA Standard 72. For instance:
a) smoking in bed
b) leaving children home alone
c) cleaning with flammable liquids, such as gasoline
• Fire warning systems for dwelling units are capable of protecting about half of the occupants in
potentially fatal fires. A smoke alarm may not be effective in some situations, such as during incendiary
fires where the fire grows so rapidly that an occupant's egress is blocked even with properly located
smoke alarms, or when victims are intimate with the fire (for example, when a person's clothes catch fire
while cooking), 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, additional strategies
such as protection-in-place or assisted escape or rescue are necessary. *
• This model meets the latest residential smoke alarm standards, which includes enhanced resistance
to nuisance alarms from cooking. Industry experts recommend that both ionization and photoelectric
smoke alarms be installed to help ensure optimal 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, within walls, on roofs, on the other side of a closed door or other
obstructions.
• 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 optimal detection,
a smoke alarm should be installed in each sleeping area on every level of a home.
This alarm is not intended to alert hearing impaired individuals.
* Reference National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard 72
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