Conducting a Fire Alarm Inspection

It is mandated by law that all homes come equipped with fire alarms. While having these alarms in place is the first step in ensuring your family's safety, if these alarms are not working properly, then they serve no purpose and your family is at as much risk as if there were not any fire alarms in place. Conducting a fire alarm inspection regularly can help to ensure the safety of yourself and your loved ones.

Batteries often power fire alarms and over time, these batteries can run out of power. Checking the battery life in these devices is one of the most basic parts of a fire alarm inspection. Check the amount of power that remains in the batteries. Check the battery terminals to ensure that they are in working order. Look to see if there is any corrosion around the battery terminals. Even if the batteries are in working order, it is highly recommended that you change the batteries at least once, but preferably twice a year, since batteries can lose power at any time.

Check the electrical components when conducting a fire alarm inspection. If your alarms are operated by electricity, check the components that link up to the devices to ensure that they are properly powered. If they are powered by battery, you will want to check the electrical components inside the device, including the sirens and any flashing lights, as these warning signs are in place to inform you if a fire is occurring.

Fire alarms are activated by smoke. In order to ensure that the smoke detectors inside your fire alarms are functioning properly, create plumes of smoke and direct the plumes at the detector. Burn some toast or light a candle and extinguish it underneath the alarm; it should activate when they sense even the slightest bit of smoke.

Fire alarms can help to protect you and your loved ones from danger. Conducting a fire alarm inspection can help to ensure that these devices are functioning properly and buy you and your family valuable time to escape the burning structure to safety, potentially saving their lives. Make certain to check your detectors frequently; twice a year is recommended, but there is no limit to the amount of times that you can check the devices - in fact, the more often you check them, the better. Keep yourself and your family safe by conducting regular inspections.