Did you know that one-quarter of all home fires start during typical sleeping hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and that more than one-half of all fire related deaths occur during this period? A working smoking detector might be the only thing between your family and tragedy. Smoke detectors do wear out. If the ones you have are more than 5 years old, it might be time for a new smoke detector(s).
The latest smoke detector models have updated features such as photoelectric sensors that are more sensitive to slow, smoldering fires. Some smoke detector models combine the older ionic sensors that see fire with photoelectric sensors for the greatest protection. Another convenient feature is the reset or silencer button. This allows you to shut down the detector for approximately 10 minutes during a nuisance alarm, like burned toast, then goes back to full alert. Resetting your detector is always a much better idea than removing the battery, which you could then forget to put back.
Even smoke detectors that are wired directly into the home's electrical system need to be regularly checked, as they can easily wear out. Make sure that the red status light on the detector is flashing at regular intervals. Keeping your smoke detectors in good working order could be a matter of life and death.
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