http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/coffee-break/cb-2007-13.pdf
Single-station residential smoke alarms, like almost any other electronic products, have an expected useful life span. Since the early days of residential smoke alarms, this life cycle has been 10 years. Once these devices reach this age their ability to function reliably declines substantially. NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm Code® requires these devices to be replaced at 10 years of age or when they become inoperable, whichever comes first.
Beginning in 1999, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) required the manufacturing date code on the back of the device to be printed in plain English. Smoke alarms manufactured before 1999 may have plain English or coded manufacture dates. This information may appear on the back of the device, on the face of the horn, in the battery compartment or on the top sensing chamber. The labeling requirement appears in Chapter 11 of NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm Code®, 2002 Edition. Code enforcement personnel who can readily decipher these date codes can identify those smoke alarms that are due for replacement.
Earlier versions of BRK, First Alert and Family Guard devices had a date code consisting of a series of numbers that appeared either on the face of the horn or on the top of the sensing chamber. The date code consists of the first four digits in a series of numbers and letters. The numbers designate the following:
The first digit represents the year of manufacture and the next three digits represent the day of the year. For example, in a code of 4015 6J, the first digit is the year (1994); the next three indicate the 15th day of the year or January 15th, 1994. The remaining characters are manufacturing information not necessarily related to the manufacture date. One problem with the BRK, First Alert and Family Guard system is that there is no way to determine the year of manufacture from the code. The first digit 4 could represent 2004, 1994 or even 1984. An additional tool is to closely examine the circuit board that will include a code like 83R. This means that this circuit board type was first used in 1983. This can help narrow down the correct manufacturing date.
Fyrnetics (Lifesaver), now Kidde, also used a five- or six-digit coding system before 1999. The first two digits of their codes represent the month of production, the second two digits represent the year of manufacture, and the last digit or digits represents the week of the month. Therefore, a date code of 049203 would be translated as April, 1992, during the third week of the month. For other manufacturers, date code information usually can be obtained by contacting the specific manufacturer.
From: "Ron Greenman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: [email protected] To: [email protected]Subject: Re: Smoke Alarms Save Lives Too,with Sprinklers we can save even more !Date: Sun, 29 Apr 2007 16:22:12 -0700 Bill, Me to though not as dramatic. A knock on the door from a neighbor about 10:30 PM. The detached carport fully engulfed, flames about 60 feet high. I only lost the only new car I ever bought in my entire life, no one at all was injured and no one lost their home or home possessions but standing outside in the dark with little kids in your arms while firefighters do their thing is still scarey. Sometime later I pulled into the now uncovered parking area to hear a neighbor's smoke alarm sounding. A call to 911, alert the other neighbors, and wait for the fire truck. A little forced entry and the pot left on the stove was gone and the stove turned off. Firefighters gone and all was well. Of course the negligent neighbor got a ration from all the tenants when she got home. On 4/29/07, Bill Minkel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:Good story, I escaped from a burning apartment once, no smoke alarms but thesmoke woke me up, the hall was impassable from smoke but there was a fire escape stairway accessible from the kitchen window which I used, thank God for that fire escape. I think if more people experienced escaping from burning buildings with only their life and the clothes on their backs they would be more appreciative of any device that helps. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED][mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of John DruckerSent: Sunday, April 29, 2007 5:46 PM To: [email protected]Subject: Smoke Alarms Save Lives Too, with Sprinklers we can save even more! Codes Save Lives Corrected code violation makes difference between life, death for threePearl and her two house guests woke up when the smoke detector went off. Itwas 3 o'clock that December morning. They searched the house but didn't smell smoke or see any evidence of fire. So they reset the smoke detectorand went back to sleep. The detector sounded again at 7 a.m. This time there was no question that the house was on fire. Pearl and her friends had enoughtime to escape, but were left with only the clothes on their backs. Thehouse was ruined. Later, when interviewed by the local media, they would saythat without a doubt the smoke detectors had saved their lives.Ron Hampton was reporting to work when his team received the call to condemnthe structure. The team helped the fire department evaluate and secure the scene. After returning to the office, Ron remembered struggling with the building's previous owner, an out of town landlord, the year before. So he had his staff pull the file. Yes, the address had been cited for several property maintenance code violations. The previous owner's checklist wasincluded in the paperwork. There, at the top of the list showing all of theitems that had been fixed, the owner had put a check next to smoke detectors. Ron's team had enforced the code. For Pearl, it had made the difference between life and death. The newspaper clipping hangs on the bulletin board in his office. RonHampton keeps it as a reminder -- a reminder that smoke detectors and propercode enforcement make a difference. His team had been directly involved in protecting the health, safety and welfare of the city's citizens. Story submitted by Ron E. Hampton Chief Master Code Official Division of Code Enforcement, City of Ashland, KY _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field) _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field)-- Ron Greenman at home.... _______________________________________________ Sprinklerforum mailing list [email protected] http://lists.firesprinkler.org/mailman/listinfo/sprinklerforum To Unsubscribe, send an email to:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Put the word unsubscribe in the subject field)
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