In order to allow
sufficient smoke to enter your smoke alarm, it needs to be placed
within 20 to 25 feet of a fire to react quickly. It also needs to be
placed where it can be heard easily throughout your house.
Single smoke alarms
will give a degree of protection if correctly installed. However, the
majority of homes will require two or more smoke alarms to ensure that
they provide an early enough warning of a fire. For maximum protection
smoke alarms should be installed in all the rooms where a fire is most
likely to break out.
If you only have
one smoke alarm it should be located between the point of a likely fire
(e.g. kitchen or living room) and your sleeping quarters.
Smoke Alarm in a
Single Storey
If you live in a
bungalow the optimum place to locate a smoke alarm is in a corridor
between living and sleeping quarters. If your bungalow is large, a
single smoke alarm will not be enough.
Smoke Alarms in
Multi-evel Homes
If your house has
two or more levels you will need to install a smoke alarm on each
level, this is due to the fact that a smoke alarm only on the upper
level will not activate in time to let you escape if a fire breaks out
on a level below.
Where to Avoid
Locating Smoke Detectors
