How many fire alarms should a house have

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• Safety Tips
• Contact Information
• Install smoke alarms on every floor of your home, in hallways, inside bedrooms and outside of sleeping areas
• Back to Support Center
• How many smoke detectors do I Need?
• How many smoke alarms do you need?
• Where to place a smoke detector in your bedroom?
• How many carbon monoxide detectors should you have?
• How many smoke detectors do you need in a house?
• Do you need a smoke detector in every room?
• How many smoke detectors should you have in a 2 story house?
• How many smoke detectors should I install?

Batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide alarms should be changed at least once a year and tested monthly to ensure that they are operating properly.

Studies show that more than 60 percent of deadly U.S. fires occur in homes that do not have smoke alarms installed or have alarms that do not function because of missing batteries, dead batteries or some other problem that keeps them from working properly. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 40 percent of U.S. residential fire deaths result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms, while 23 percent occurred in homes without working smoke alarms.

National statistics show:

• On average, home fires kill 540 children ages 14 and under each year.
• 80 percent of the children who die in home fires are killed in homes without working smoke alarms.
• From 11 p.m. – 7 a.m., when people tend to be asleep and the home is dark, are the peak hours for home fire deaths.
• Only 23 percent of U.S. families have developed and practiced a home fire escape plan.

Smoke alarms should be installed in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement. The NFPA also recommends that families interconnect all smoke alarms throughout the home so that if one alarm sounds, they all sound.

To ensure fire safety, families should regularly check smoke detectors by pushing the test button, plan at least two escape routes from their homes and practice those escape routes with the entire family. Batteries should be changed at least once a year and tested monthly to ensure that they are operating properly.

The National Safety Council reports that nearly 300 people die each year as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is often referred to as the silent killer, and is an invisible, odorless gas that is created when fuels burn incompletely. In the home, heating and cooking equipment that burn fuel can be sources of carbon monoxide.

Carbon monoxide detectors are designed to detect and warn of the presence of dangerous carbon monoxide gases. Carbon monoxide detectors should be installed on every level of a structure and in a central location near each sleeping area. For the best protection, NFPA recommends interconnecting all carbon monoxide detectors throughout the home, so that when one sounds, they all sound.

If a carbon monoxide detector sounds, families should immediately evacuate to a fresh air location outdoors or immediately get to an open window or open door. Make sure all family members are accounted for and call for help. It is important that families remain evacuated or in their fresh air location until emergency personnel arrive and make sure the home is safe.

To ensure carbon monoxide detectors are working properly, families should check alarms at least once a month and replace alarms according to the manufacturer’s descriptions.

Install smoke alarms on every floor of your home, in hallways, inside bedrooms and outside of sleeping areas

On average, families have less than three minutes from the time the first smoke alarm sounds to escape a fire. The sooner you hear an alarm, the more time you have to get out.

In compliance with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), smoke alarms will cover a radius of 21 feet, and an area of coverage of 1,385 square feet. The maximum distance between two smoke alarms should be 30 feet.  If a hallway is greater than 30 feet, a smoke alarm must be installed at each end. 

Alarms can be sensitive to smoke from a kitchen and steam from a bathroom. Consider installing alarms away from these rooms if possible to avoid potential nuisance alarms. 

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Fire safety is something that's easy to overlook for many busy families, but it couldn't be more important. If you're looking to improve your home's safety rating, one of the first questions you may have is: How many smoke detectors do you need in your home?

When it comes to installing fire alarms in your home, "the general rule is that you should have at least one smoke detector on each floor of your home" which should be placed outside of sleeping areas ideally, as Chuck Roydhouse tells Romper. (A retired professional firefighter, Roydhouse is the President of the Chimney Safety Institute of America, and the owner of Clean Sweep of Anne Arundel County.) While some smoke detectors may only require a battery, Roydhouse says it's recommended to have one that's hardwired and to include a battery as backup. It's also important to make sure you're getting a quality alarm, as Steve Kerber, Vice President of Research for Underwriters Laboratories and director of the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI), tells Romper.

"When replacing or buying new smoke alarms, look for products that are third-party listed or certified," Kerber says. In case a fire breaks out in your home, you'll want to be warned by an alarm so you can get your family out as quickly as possible.

Of course, a smoke alarm is no good if it's not working, so just installing them and forgetting they exist isn't the safest thing either. "Smoke alarms should be tested once a month by pushing the test button," Kerber explains.

Many of us feel the need to disable our smoke alarms when it goes off while we're cooking (I'm totally guilty of this). The danger here is that people often forget to reactivate them. If you're wondering if you even really need smoke alarms anyway, the answer is yes.

"Today, fire [spreads] faster due to synthetic fabrics in furniture, lighter construction materials and open floor plans, leaving people three minutes or less to escape," says Kerber. Having smoke alarms installed correctly throughout your home may save lives.

What about carbon monoxide detectors? Yup, you need those too. Be sure to install them in the "central locations of the home," says Roydhouse. Carbon monoxide is especially dangerous because unlike smoke, you won't know if you have carbon monoxide in your home unless the detector alerts you. Carbon monoxide is a "deadly gas that can come from appliances like a furnace, clothes dryer, oven or water heater if it is not working properly," explains Kerber. And, as Roydhouse adds, carbon monoxide is especially dangerous because it's "colorless, odorless and tasteless, so without a carbon monoxide detector, you won’t know there’s a problem."

Both experts suggest coming up with a family emergency safety plan, which should include "an agreed upon location where everyone will meet once they're safely out of the home." You can make this your neighbor's house, a light post, a familiar tree or any object that stands out and is a safe enough distance from your home. You should also make sure everyone in your family is aware of multiple different escape routes. In case some of the common exits are obstructed, finding other ways out can be critical. "These may be upstairs windows, so depending on the height of your home, you may want to invest in emergency ladders," explains Roydhouse. Kerber adds, "A fire escape plan is incredibly important for families. Not only to make one, but to practice it at least two times a year." He suggests "[drawing] a map of each level of the home. Show all doors and windows. Go to each room and point to the two ways out."

Once you install all your working smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors and create your family emergency exit plan, you're in good shape... but there is one more thing you may want to add to your home.

"It’s a good idea to keep 15 lb. ABC fire extinguishers in multiple locations throughout your home — like in the kitchen, in a hall closet, and in the corner of a family room," says Roydhouse.

That way if a fire does start in your home, you may be able to put it out before it spreads.

Making sure your home is up-to-date with it's emergency safety plans can seem like a hassle at first, but keeping your family safe is well worth the extra effort. Don't forget to teach your kids to call 9-1-1 in case of an emergency and go over your home address and important phone numbers to make sure everyone knows all the important information. You'll be glad you did.

How many smoke detectors do I Need?

How many smoke alarms do you need?

Where to place a smoke detector in your bedroom?

How many carbon monoxide detectors should you have?

How many smoke detectors do you need in a house?

Do you need a smoke detector in every room?

How many smoke detectors should you have in a 2 story house?

How many smoke detectors should I install?