Smoke Alarm; Limitations Of Smoke Alarms - Kidde i12010SCA 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 warning system will sound, and be
accompanied by the flashing red LED light.

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.
• Smoke alarms are devices that can provide early warning of
possible fires at a reasonable cost; however, alarms have
sensing limitations. 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. 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.
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