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The Dangers of Fire
Fire is Unpredictable
• Fire can burn a two-story home to the ground
in minutes.
• Fire can elevate air temperatures at eye-level
to over 1200˚F (650˚C)!
• In a typical home fire you have just minutes to
escape, which is why it is so important to
have at least one smoke alarm on every level
of your home and in every bedroom or sleep-
ing area.
Depending on the source, materials involved,
and environment, fire can spread rapidly or
smolder slowly for hours.
NOTE - This FADCQ alarm uses only an ioniza-
tion type detector for sensing smoke.
You may wish to consider installing
other photoelectric alarms or combina-
tion ionization/photoelectric dual
sensor alarms in your home for
increased protection.
The Dangers of CO
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a Toxic Gas
Carbon monoxide poisoning is a serious issue.
Many families suffer daily, and over one thou-
sand lives are lost each year because of this
deadly household gas.
• You cannot see, smell, or taste CO.
• The effects of CO poisoning can cause house-
hold members to become extremely ill or even
cause death.
• CO poisoning can happen almost anywhere.
Many appliances like furnaces, ovens, fire-
places, kerosene heaters, and grills may
silently emit CO because of damage, poor
maintenance, or defects.
Understanding How CO Forms
Appliance Malfunction: CO forms when
fuel burns without sufficient oxygen (incom-
plete combustion). This type of malfunction
can happen to any fuel-burning appliance
at any time.
Environmental Conditions: Example:
Fireplace chimneys can fill with leaves during
the fall season. If enough leaves, dirt, and
soot are accumulated in the chimney, proper
ventilation will be interrupted. This can cause
a backdraft of CO into the home. The result
can be fatal. With proper maintenance and
cleaning, however, the potential for CO build
up can be reduced.
WARNING
BE AWARE OF COMMON SOURCES OF
CARBON MONOXIDE. See Chapter VII for
details.
Different Types of Smoke Alarms
Ionization smoke alarms are generally more
effective at detecting fast, flaming fires which
consume combustible materials rapidly and
spread quickly. Sources of these fires include
paper burning in a waste container or a
grease fire in the kitchen. Photoelectric
smoke alarms are generally more effective at
detecting slow, smoldering fires which smol-
der for hours before bursting into flame.
Sources of these fires may include cigarettes
burning in couches or bedding.