Smoke & Fire Alarms are Important!

4/25/2017 (Permalink)

Get a Smoke & Fire Alarm Today.

In Alabama, there have been thirty deaths due to home fires so far this year. There were one hundred thirteen deaths in 2016.

In the United States, FEMA reports that eight hundred fifty-nine people have died so far this year in home fires, two thousand two hundred ninety-one people in 2016.

These numbers are down from the previous years, thirteen out of fourteen homes now have a working Smoke or Fire Detector/Alarm in their home, but the statistics continue to prove the importance, as over sixty percent of all fatalities stem from homes without one.

At SERVPRO of Greenville/Troy/Andalusia, we have seen what a house fire does to a home, a family, and there is enough heartache to deal with, without losing yourself or your loved ones. This is why we want to stress the importance of making sure you have a working Fire/Smoke Alarm in your home today. 

We can clean up after a fire, but we can’t bring your loved one back.  

How Smoke Alarms Work

Smoke and Fire Alarms use a sensor to pick up any traces of gasses, smoke or heat.

There are two types of Smoke Alarms (also called Smoke Detectors), that you can install in your home – Photoelectric and Ionization…Each with their own special capabilities. A Photoelectric Alarm is installed in the wiring with backup battery for when the power is out. These are more expensive, but can detect a slow, smoldering fire. (Great for kitchens and near bathrooms since it doesn’t pick up steam). An Ionization Alarm can be very inexpensive and allows you to install several throughout your home. (We’ll discuss this later) They will alert you in seconds of a fast moving fire.

Installing and Servicing

Fire and Smoke Alarms are easy to install. Just find the highest place on the ceiling or/and on a wall about four inches below the ceiling, and follow the directions included.  Smoke and Gasses rise, and you want them overhead.

Install one on every floor, including basement, and beside every bedroom in the house.

Check your batteries often and remember to replace the Unit every ten years.

Important Steps to Remember

When an alarm goes off at night, wake everyone up immediately and get out!

Remember to do a head count and make sure everyone is safe.

Do not run back in your home for anything that is not breathing.  

Use your cell phone or a neighbor’s phone to call the fire department.

Stay together while the fire is being put out.

And then, after the last smoldering flame is extinguished…

Call us.

SERVPRO of Greenville/Troy/Andalusia will do everything in our power to make it

“Like it Never Even Happened”.