Education
- How often should I change the batteries in my smoke detectors?
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If your detector is powered solely by the air conditioning current in your house, there is no battery to change. However, if your detector is battery powered or has a battery backup power source, it is recommended you change the batteries at least twice a year. Pick a birthday or memorable day, such as New Year's Day to ensure you remember this change.
- How long do smoke and carbon monoxide detectors last?
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Typical homeowners will put the detectors up, see them hanging there on the wall, and feel safe. They don't give them a second thought - except for those annoying times the low battery chirp goes off in the middle of the night.
Test Your Smoke Detector
Test your smoke detectors monthly and if they're battery-operated, you need to change those batteries at least once a year. Many people change their smoke detector batteries on New Year's Day or some other holiday to help them remember. Carbon monoxide detector batteries need to be replaced every six months (a great time to do this is during daylight saving time when you're turning your clocks back or forward). When replacing the batteries, vacuum the inside of the detectors to remove dirt, dust, and debris, which can interfere with the working components.
Detector Life Span
Most smoke alarms have a life span between eight and 10 years, and again, replace the batteries every year. A smoke detector with a titanium battery or a hard-wired smoke detector can last 10 years, at which time you would just replace the whole unit. The recommendation is to replace them every five years because their ability to detect carbon monoxide is questionable after that point.
- How many smoke detectors do I need in my home?
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According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), minimum protection requires a smoke detector outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home, including the basement.
Smoke Detector Placement
On floors without bedrooms, detectors should be installed in or near living areas such as dens, living rooms, or family rooms. For extra protection, the NFPA suggests installing additional detectors in dining rooms, furnace rooms, utility rooms, and hallways. There should be one smoke detector located in every bedroom of a household.
Smoke detectors are not recommended for kitchens, bathrooms, or garages - where there are cooking fumes or steam. Attics and other unheated spaces - where humidity and temperature changes might affect a detector's operation.
Hear the Alarm
Be sure everyone sleeping in your home can hear your smoke detectors' alarms even with bedroom doors closed. If not, or if any residents are hearing- impaired, install additional detectors inside bedrooms. For the hearing impaired, there are smoke detectors that flash a strobe light in addition to sounding an audible alarm.
- My smoke detector is chirping, what does that mean?
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Most modern smoke detectors will chirp to alert you the batteries are low, you should replace the batteries and test your smoke detector. Smoke detectors can be purchased at any hardware or large commercial department store.
- What type of smoke detector should I have in my home?
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There are two types of alarms - ionization and photoelectric. They operate on different principles and therefore may respond differently to various conditions.
Ionization
- Fastest type to respond to flaming fires
- Lowest cost and most commonly sold
- Some models have a hush or temporary silence feature that allows silencing without removing the battery
- Some models are available with a long-life battery
Photoelectric
- Fastest type to respond to slow smoldering fires and white or gray smoke
- Less prone to nuisance alarms from cooking
Compare & Contrast
Photoelectric smoke alarms may respond slightly faster to smoldering fires, while ionization alarms respond slightly faster to flaming fires. Since you can't predict the type of fire that will occur, it is difficult to recommend which is best. Both alarms will detect all types of fires that commonly occur in the home, and several manufacturers make a "dual sensor" model, combining the technology of both models into one device. Installing both types of smoke alarms, or a combination unit, in your home can enhance fire safety, and increase your chance of survival by up to 50%.
Life File
**The Life File will be available soon. Please stay tuned for when you can come pick up your printed form and/or magnet.
The East Central Fire Department is reinstating the Life File to better help personnel during times of emergency when a patient may be unable to answer pertinent questions in order to administer life-saving care.
The Life file is a document that details your health information such as medications, emergency phone numbers, surgeries, diagnosed conditions, insurance, etc. A Life File saves valuable time during an emergency and can provide important medical information to paramedics even if you are unable to answer questions. Everyone should have a Life File regardless of age. You never know when the information might be needed. Make sure to complete one form for each person in your household. Even if you have no allergies, medications, or diseases, it is important for your emergency care team to know!
Your Life File can be completed and placed in an envelope clearly marked "Life File". Use either a magnet or tape to attach the envelope to your refrigerator. Paramedics are trained to look for the Life File on your refrigerator during an emergency.
**The Life File will be available soon. Please stay tuned for when you can come pick up your printed form and/or magnet.
Speakers and Tours
Speaker: If you would like to schedule a member of the Fire Department to come to speak at your event, please contact the Fire/EMS administrative assistant, Shauna Gunder at 260.493.7500.
Tours: If you would like to schedule a fire station tour, please contact the Fire/EMS administrative assistant, Shauna Gunder at 260.493.7500. Tour will only be scheduled between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Tours may need to be rescheduled at the last minute due to emergency calls.
Parties or Events: The New Haven Fire Department does not host birthday parties. Truck visits are on a case-by-case basis and may not be approved depending to various complications/reasons.