Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives – Test Yours Every Month

With the theme of Fire Prevention week being “Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives – Test Yours Every Month” I have included a link to a quick video on the basics behind testing smoke alarms.

Did you know that there are 2 types of smoke alarms and they can be either hard wired into your home or battery operated. Even smoke alarms that are hard wired into your home require a battery, so in addition to testing your smoke alarms monthly ensure you are changing the battery at least twice a year.

• Ionization smoke alarms are generally more responsive to flaming fires.
  How they work: Ionization-type smoke alarms have a small amount of radioactive material between two electrically charged plates, which ionizes the air and causes current to flow between the plates. When smoke enters the chamber, it disrupts the flow of ions, thus reducing the flow of current and activating the alarm. Download this chart on ionization smoke alarms

• Photoelectric smoke alarms are generally more responsive to fires that begin with a long period of smoldering (called “smoldering fires”).
  How they work: Photoelectric-type alarms aim a light source into a sensing chamber at an angle away from the sensor. Smoke enters the chamber, reflecting light onto the light sensor; triggering the alarm. Download this chart on photoelectric smoke alarms

For more information on how to test a specific type of smoke alarm I encourage you to check out YouTube for a variety of tutorials.