Why You Need A Residential Fire Detector

Fire Detector

Most people have seen televised or printed images of a home fire. Many people have watched a house burn or seen the aftermath of a residential fire. In most cases, surviving a fire depends on having a good residential fire detector system.

Why You Need a Residential Fire Detector System

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), house fires in the U.S. kill 4,000 to 5,000 people every year and injure another 20,000. The primary causes of residential fires in single family homes and duplexes are: heating (31%), cooking (15%), and incendiary or suspicious causes (10%).

The leading causes of accidental fires in the home resulting in multiple deaths are (1) cigarettes and (2) portable heating devices. A NFPA study found that 83% of residential fires started in the living room, 20.8% in the bedroom, 11.7% in the kitchen, 7.6% at exits, 5.1% in a structural area, 1.5% in a heating equipment room, and 3% elsewhere.

The study also found that 81% of residential fires resulting in multiple deaths occurred at night (between 8 pm and 8 am). Not surprisingly, people were sleeping and taken by surprise. According to the U.S. Fire Administration nearly half of those killed were preschool children and adults over age 65. National fire officials have estimated that at least half of these deaths could have been prevented with a fire detector system in the home.

Components of a Residential Fire Detector System

Fire detector systems have two primary ways to detect fire in the home. These are smoke detectors and heat sensors. These are often supplemented by using motion detectors, which can detect fire and glass breakage sensors.

The first component of the fire detector system is the heat detector. There are two types of heat detectors. The first type triggers the alarm if the heat in the home exceeds a set level. This is called a fixed temperature sensor. The other type, called a rate-of-rise sensor, triggers the alarm if the temperature in the house rises too fast.

There are also two types of smoke detector alarms. These devices are designed to detect smoke before the fire erupts. Although the ionization detectors are commonly used, photo-electric sensors are more popular because they are able to detect the slower-erupting type of home fire that smolders for some time before erupting.

In most homes, security professionals recommend and install a combination of smoke detectors and heat detectors. The motion sensors that are ordinarily part of a home security system will respond to the movement of smoke and flame and can become part of a comprehensive fire detector system. This can be helpful in determining where the fire is located in order to leave the house safely. Glass breakage sensors serve a similar purpose in sounding an alert when the heat causes a window to break.

Placement of Fire Detector Equipment

Placing smoke and heat sensor components of your fire detector system correctly is critical to the effectiveness of the system and to the safety of your family. At minimum, one smoke detector should be installed outside each bedroom area in the home and one smoke detector on each level of the home, including the basement. If there is an extremely long hallway (over 40 feet) between living and sleeping areas, another smoke detector alarm should be installed there.

Beyond the minimal fire detector recommendation for smoke alarms, there are other important recommendations:

  • Install a photo-electric smoke detector in the bedroom of any family member who smokes.
  • Install heat detectors in any bedroom where small appliances are plugged in overnight.
  • Heat sensors might be installed in the kitchen, dining room, heating equipment room, attic, garage or utility room.
  • Placing and programming the heat tolerance of heat sensors and smoke alarms should take the following into consideration:
    • Any sensor in a kitchen can result in false alarms because of burned food or accumulated heat.
    • Garage temperatures, particularly in garages that are not insulated, should be carefully programmed.
    • Neither type of sensor should be positioned in front of air registers, windows or doors.

Finally, like your burglar alarm or home security system, your fire detector system should be connected to your monitoring company or directly to the local fire department (depending on local practices).

By working carefully with your home security professional you can select and properly position all components of a comprehensive fire detector system and ensure the safety of your family and property.