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Fire is a deadly threat to any household. It can strike anywhere, at any time. In a study conducted by the National Fire Protection Association, they determined that almost two-thirds of residential home fire deaths between 2005 and 2009 resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
A home fire can and might happen to you. Smoke alarms are the easiest, most cost-efficient way to alert your family of a developing fire. The more smoke alarms you have installed in your home, the more your chances increase that you will be alerted to a fire. You must be prepared and have the knowledge to escape safely. Fire is darker, smokier, hotter and faster than you can imagine. You must know what fire is like to increase the chances of a safe escape. The following are four important facts to remember:
Smoke Is Dark. Most people expect fire to be light. For this reason, people have been trapped in their homes because they could not find their way out in the dark — they didn’t have a flashlight and didn’t practice an escape plan.
Smoke Can Be Deadly. Since most fire fatalities occur between 2 and 6 a.m. when most people are sleeping — the only thing standing between the deadly fumes of fire and a safe escape maybe the piercing sound of a smoke alarm.
Fire Has Intense Heat. Fire can cause the temperature to rise several hundred degrees in seconds. The heat is so intense it can cause the human body to stop functioning altogether — one breath can cause severe lung damage.
The heat alone can cause someone to become unconscious and not be able to escape. Time Is Critical. A residential home can be easily consumed in flames in less than five minutes from the start of a fire. You must know what to do in order to help get you and your family out safely. A closed door is often the best way to stall a fire. By closing the door, you may save yourself seconds to use an alternate escape route.
What most people don’t realize is there are specific regulations and laws that govern the manufacturing, installation, maintenance and testing of smoke alarms not only in the U.S., but also in Germany and the State of Rheinland-Pfalz specifically.
Within the U.S., these guidelines can be found online in the U.S. Fire Administration State-by-State Residential Smoke Alarm Requirements manual, as well as in the National Fire Protection Agency Codes and Standards. In the state of Rheinland-Pfalz, the requirements for the installation of smoke alarms is laid out in the Landesbauordnung (State Construction Law for Rheinland-Pfalz).
Some of the same requirements can found in both the NFPA and Landesbauordnung, these requirements are that smoke alarms must be installed in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area, in the path of egress and on every level of the home.
What this means for all military and civilian members working and living on a military installation is all smoke alarms will be installed and maintained by the installation in accordance with the NFPA to include all other applicable laws and regulations to ensure the high levels of safety are present.
For those members residing within the local communities’ cities and villages of Rheinland-Pfalz, it is the responsibility of the homeowner or landlord to install smoke alarms in accordance with the state law to ensure the safety of occupants. However, the occupant is responsible for testing smoke detectors (recommended monthly) to ensure operability and for replacement of batteries as necessary.
It’s not just enough to install or have smoke alarms installed within your residence, you also must maintain them. Smoke alarms are easy to maintain; yet, improper maintenance is one of the biggest reasons smoke alarms fail. It is very important that you remember to maintain all your smoke alarms not just one or two of them.
To ensure your smoke alarms are working properly you can follow these simple actions:
• Test your smoke alarms weekly by pressing the test button.
• Replace the battery in each smoke alarm at least once a year. Better yet, when you change your clock for daylight savings time, change your battery.
• Never remove the battery except when replacing it with a fresh battery.
• Clean the smoke alarm at least once a year.
• When in doubt, always remember to follow the instructions in the product’s user’s manual for specific instructions on how to install and maintain your smoke alarms.
For questions, contact the KMC Fire Department, Fire Prevention Section in Bldg. 571 on Ramstein, or call 480-5940 or 06371-47-5940.
