Most fatal house fires start at night when residents are asleep
inside. Although many people mistakenly believe that if their house
caught fire, the smoke would wake them; this is not always the case.
Poisonous gases from the fire can numb the senses, putting persons
asleep inside into an even deeper sleep. For minimum protection, a
smoke alarm should be placed inside each sleeping area and on every
level of the home, including the basement. Since smoke rises, alarms
should be mounted high on the wall (4"-12" from the ceiling) or on the
ceiling. Smoke alarms should not be installed too close to windows,
doors, or forced-air registers, where drafts could interfere with their
operation.
All smoke alarms have a 10 year life to them and
should be replaced if older than 10 years of age. The Shawnee Fire
Department, in partnership with the Office of the State Fire Marshal,
offer free long-life sealed combination smoke alarms and carbon monoxide
detectors for our residents and free hearing-impaired smoke alarms with
bed shakers for our hearing-impaired residents.
Working and
maintained smoke alarms should work in conjunction with a developed and
practiced fire escape plan. If you need help in designing your family’s
fire escape plan or need a smoke alarm, please call the Shawnee Fire
Department at (913) 631-1080