Ed
Maybe to support your statement, the owner's manual of my newest smoke
detector for my home states to replace the battery once a year. Not to
say
it isn't a good idea to change them every six months, but read the
instructions and see what it says.
Michael O'Brian
Code Savvy Consultants
www.codesavvyconsultants.com
************************************************
Take a look at www.inspector911.com the first site dedicated to code
enforcmenet (inspectors, fire marhsals, building officals, and plan
reviewers).
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ed Vining
Sent: Sunday, April 29, 2007 9:54 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: How Old Are Your Smoke Alarms???
I for one do not believe the 10 year myth, any more than I believe in the
"change the batteries twice a year" myth. If you read Dick Bukowski's
reasons for establishing the 10 year bit, they included the premise that
we
feeble minded citizens would not test our smoke alarms. The reasoning
behind the too frequent battery change escapes me. Doesn't UL require
that
the batteries be capable of operating for two years?
Most of my smoke alarms are less than 10 years old, as I upgraded to
interconnection. A 20-odd year old one though still tests fine. A 30
year
old one recently failed the test and was replaced.
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Ed Vining, retired, guest
4819 John Muir Rd
Martinez CA 94553
925-228-8792
----- Original Message ----
From: Tom L <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [email protected]
Sent: Sunday, April 29, 2007 5:09:47 PM
Subject: How Old Are Your Smoke Alarms???
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 CodeR 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 CodeR, 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
the
smoke 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
Drucker
Sent: 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 three
Pearl and her two house guests woke up when the smoke detector went off.
It
was 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 detector
and 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
enough
time to escape, but were left with only the clothes on their backs. The
house was ruined. Later, when interviewed by the local media, they would
say
that without a doubt the smoke detectors had saved their lives.
Ron Hampton was reporting to work when his team received the call to
condemn
the 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 was
included in the paperwork. There, at the top of the list showing all of
the
items 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. Ron
Hampton keeps it as a reminder -- a reminder that smoke detectors and
proper
code 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
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--
Ron Greenman
at home....
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