Filter
Top Products
5
ABOUT SMOKE ALARMS
Batter
y (DC) operated Smoke Alarms:
Pr
ovide protection even when
electricity fails, pr
ovided the batteries are fresh and correctly installed.
Units are easy to install, and do not require professional installation.
AC powered Smoke Alarms: Can be interconnected so if one unit
senses smoke, all units alarm. They do not operate if electricity fails.
AC with battery (DC) back-up: will operate if electricity fails, provided
the batteries are fresh and correctly installed. AC and AC/DC units
must be installed by a qualified electrician.
Smoke Alar
ms for Solar or Wind Energy users and battery backup
power systems: AC power
ed Smoke Alarms should only be operated
with true or pure sine wave inverters. Operating this Smoke Alarm with
most battery-power
ed UPS (uninterruptible power supply) products or
squar
e wave or “quasi sine wave” inverters
will damage the Alar
m
.
If you are not sure about your inverter or UPS type, please consult with
the manufactur
er to verify.
Smoke Alar
ms for the hearing impaired:
Special purpose Smoke
Alarms should be installed for the hearing impair
ed. They include a
visual alarm and an audible alarm horn, and meet the requirements of
the Americans With Disabilities Act. Can be inter
connected so if one
unit senses smoke, all units alarm.
Smoke alarms are not to be used with detector guards unless the
combination has been evaluated and found suitable for that purpose.
All these Smoke Alarms ar
e designed to provide early warning of fires if
located, installed and car
ed for as described in the user’s manual, and
if smoke reaches them. If you are unsure which type of Smoke Alarm
to install, r
efer to Chapter 2 of the National Fire Protection Association
(NFPA) Standard 72 (National Fire Alarm Code) and NFPA 101 (Life
Safety Code). National Fire Protection Association, One Batterymarch
Park, Quincy
, MA 02269-9101. Local building codes may also r
equire
specific units in new construction or in different areas of the home.
SPECIAL COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS
This Smoke Alarm alone is not a suitable substitute for complete fire
detection systems in places housing many people—like apartment
buildings, condominiums, hotels, motels, dormitories, hospitals, long-
term health care facilities, nursing homes, day care facilities, or group
homes of any kind—even if they were once single-family homes.
It is not a suitable substitute for complete fire detection systems in
warehouses, industrial facilities, commercial buildings, and special-
purpose non-residential buildings which require special fire detection
and alarm systems. Depending on the building codes in your area, this
Smoke Alarm may be used to provide additional protection in these
facilities.
The following information applies to all four building types below:
In new construction, most building codes require the use of AC or
AC/DC powered Smoke Alarms only. In existing construction, AC,
AC/DC, or DC powered Smoke Alarms can be used as specified by
local building codes. Refer to NFPA 101 (Life Safety Code) or NFPA 72
(National Fire Alarm Code), local building codes, or consult your Fire
Department for detailed fire protection requirements in buildings not
defined as “households.”
1. Single-Family Residence:
Single family home, townhouse. It is r
ecommended Smoke Alarms be
installed on every level of the home, in every bedroom, and in each
bedroom hallway.
2. Multi-Family or Mixed Occupant Residence:
Apartment building, condominium. This Smoke Alarm is suitable for use
in individual apartments or condos, provided a primary fire detection
system already exists to meet fire detection requirements in common
ar
eas like lobbies, hallways, or porches. Using this Smoke Alarm in
common ar
eas may not pr
ovide suf
ficient war
ning to all residents or
meet local fire protection ordinances/regulations.
3. Institutions:
Hospitals, day care facilities, long-term health care facilities. This Smoke
Alarm is suitable for use in individual patient sleeping/resident rooms,
pr
ovided a primary fir
e detection system alr
eady exists to meet fir
e
detection requirements in common areas like lobbies, hallways, or
porches. Using this Smoke Alarm in common areas may not provide
sufficient warning to all residents or meet local fire protection ordinances
/r
egulations.
4. Hotels and Motels:
Also boarding houses and dormitories. This Smoke Alarm is suitable
for use inside individual sleeping/resident rooms, provided a primary
fire detection system already exists to meet fire detection requirements
in common ar
eas like lobbies, hallways, or por
ches. Using this Smoke
Alarm in common areas may not provide sufficient warning to all
residents or meet local fire protection ordinances/regulations.
LIMITATIONS OF SMOKE ALARMS
Smoke Alarms have played a key r
ole in reducing deaths resulting from
home fires worldwide. However, like any warning device, Smoke Alarms
can only work if they ar
e properly located, installed, and maintained, and
if smoke reaches them. They are not foolproof.
Smoke alar
ms may not waken all individuals.
Practice the escape
plan at least twice a year, making sure that everyone is involved – from
kids to grandpar
ents. Allow children to master fire escape planning and
practice befor
e holding a fire drill at night when they are sleeping.
If children or others do not readily waken to the sound of the smoke
alarm, or if ther
e are infants or family members with mobility limitations,
make sure that someone is assigned to assist them in fire drill and in
the event of an emergency. It is recommended that you hold a fire drill
while family members ar
e sleeping in order to determine their response
to the sound of the smoke alarm while sleeping and to determine
whether they may need assistance in the event of an emer
gency.
Smoke Alarms cannot work without power. Battery operated units
cannot work if the batteries ar
e missing, disconnected or dead, if the
wrong type of batteries are used, or if the batteries are not installed
correctly. AC units cannot work if the AC power is cut off for any reason
(open fuse or cir
cuit breaker, failure along a power line or at a power
station, electrical fire that burns the electrical wires, etc.). If you are
concerned about the limitations of battery or AC power, install both
types of units.
Smoke Alar
ms cannot detect fires if the smoke does not reach
them.
Smoke fr
om fires in chimneys or walls, on roofs, or on the other
side of closed doors may not reach the sensing chamber and set
of
f the alarm. That is why one unit should be installed inside each
bedroom or sleeping area—especially if bedroom or sleeping area
doors are closed at night—and in the hallway between them.
Smoke Alarms may not detect fire on another floor or area of the
home.
For example, a stand-alone unit on the second floor may not
detect smoke fr
om a basement fire until the fire spreads. This may
not give you enough time to escape safely. That is why recommended
minimum pr
otection is at least one unit in every sleeping area, and
every bedroom on every level of your home. Even with a unit on every
floor
, stand-alone units may not provide as much protection as inter-
connected units, especially if the fir
e starts in a remote area. Some
safety experts r
ecommend installing interconnected AC powered units
with battery back-up (see “About Smoke Alarms”) or pr
ofessional
fir
e detection systems, so if one unit senses smoke, all units alarm.
Interconnected units may provide earlier warning than stand-alone
units since all units alarm when one detects smoke.
Smoke Alarms may not be heard. Though the alarm horn in this unit
meets or exceeds current standards, it may not be heard if: 1) the unit
is located outside a closed or partially closed door, 2) residents recently
consumed alcohol or drugs, 3) the alarm is drowned out by noise from
stereo, TV, traffic, air conditioner or other appliances, 4) residents are
hearing impaired or sound sleepers. Special purpose units, like those
with visual and audible alarms, should be installed for hearing impaired
residents.
Smoke Alarms may not have time to alarm before the fire itself
causes damage, injury, or death, since smoke from some fires may
not reach the unit immediately. Examples of this include persons
smoking in bed, children playing with matches, or fires caused by
violent explosions resulting from escaping gas.
Smoke Alarms are not foolproof.
Like any electronic device, Smoke
Alarms are made of components that can wear out or fail at any time.
You must test the unit weekly to ensure your continued protection.
Smoke Alarms cannot prevent or extinguish fires. They are not a
substitute for property or life insurance.
Smoke Alarms have a limited life. The unit should be replaced
immediately if it is not operating properly. You should always replace a
Smoke Alarm after 10 years from date of purchase. Write the purchase
date on the space provided on back of unit.
First Alert
®
is a registered trademark of the First Alert Trust.
Printed in Mexico M08-0069-004 J1 02/05