1. LIMITATIONS OF SMOKE ALARMS
WARNING: PLEASE READ CAREFULLY AND THOROUGHLY
• NFPA 72 states: Life safety from fire in residential occupancies is based pri-
marily 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 pos-
sible. 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 ion-
ization alarms. Home fires develop in different ways and are often unpredict-
able. 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 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.
This alarm is not intended to alert hearing impaired individuals.
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