do me a favour this christmas...

I spent a long time - about 8 years plus working with fire detection and seeing the results when fires spread and people were unable to get out. Some of these were at christmas and seeing everything completely destroyed as well as people, by flames is not nice. As a lot of people have candles at this time of the year, please will you all do me a favour this next 24 hours and check your smoke detectors are working. When was the last time youput the nozzle of the vacuum cleaner up there and cleaned it?
I have seen what fire can do when detectors were not fitted or not working and its an unpleasent scene. Even though I am no longer in the industry, I never forget those days - just 10 seconds is all it takes. A new battery is cheaper than a funeral.
Sorry to be morbid, but it has to be necessary and you never know, it may save your life.
Thanks
Kev

thank you!!

Hey Kev, The spirit of your message is OK, Thank´s for the aware!

Don't worry about me kev - the only candles in my house remain unlit (for some reason Excalibur likes sticking his tail in the flames). So we just have them for decoration. Always remember to change the batteries on both your fire alarms and carbon monoxide detectors!

Thanks for the heads up, we just replaced our smoke detector.

Originally Posted by CoolCat

Hey Kev, The spirit of your message is OK, Thank´s for the aware!

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Hey - reading my post again, it sounds really morbid - its not meant to sound that way - its just a heads up and one to which I ask everyone.

My apologies if caused any annoyance to anyone.

If you have a detector sat in a box, go and put it up. Where?? Right at the bottom of the stairs in the middle of the ceiling. NEVER on a wall - always on the ceiling and a lot more than 12 inches from the wall in a straight line. (if its less than 12 inches - its in what we call the dead air triangle and any smoke will take longer to reach the detector. If you have another - straight at the ceiling at the top of the stairs - right in the middle. Two small screws, new battery and press to test.
If still stuck on locating them in a house - please contact me.
I have seen so much destruction and I would rather talk to you than read about you.
Kev

Thanks!

Originally Posted by carolcat

Thanks for the heads up, we just replaced our smoke detector.

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Excellent You get maximum QDOS - just go and press the button and check it works please. let this old yorkshire man rest tonight in peace knowing you are safe......if it makes a high pitched noise - brilliant. If anyones starts making a pip noise occasionally, then its battery change time - You never know when the battery is flat - check and if in doubt - get the old one out... replace

Thanks for the warning, Kev. There are so many fires over Christmas here - often because of people using real candles on the trees, or cheap, unsafe lights. Your reminder might very well save lives.

I work for a company that does (among other things) fire damage restoration. Besides what Kev said, remember please to NEVER walk out of a room with a candle burning. We did some work for a woman who had a cat that knocked over the candle while she was outdoors calling her kids in for dinner. The home had severe soot damage. The cat died of smoke inhalation. She was a firefighter. It could happen to anyone.

Thanks for the reminder Kev. We all need that little voice to get us to remember how important this is and how easily things are over looked.

Loud screechy noise worked fine...What??? Did you say something??? Huh? Maybe too loud of a screechy noise!

Thank you for your concern Kev. I have been troubled by two bad fires in apartment buildings here recently, one in my old neighborhood and one across the street from where I live now, and it has made me think a lot about keeping me and my little family safe. Our new smoke and carbon monoxide detector was installed two days ago and has been tested to make sure it is working. Don't worry about whether you sound morbid or not. We should all keep safety foremost in our minds.

Also a tip, my vet gave me a sticker I placed on a visible window that states what types of pets that I have, how many and gives their address (the vet clinic) to take any animals too. It also has the vet's phone #. I thought that was a good thing to have -they give it out to any new pet owners (Baker being the new one!!)

Our vet doesn't have those, do you think the fire department would?

I dont like lighting my candles i find them too pretty to be distroyed by fire

we dont have a fire ditector in this appartment but the only lights we have are on the window
I just hope everyone else in the appartment is wise too

I change the batteries in mine every daylight savings change time, both spring and fall. But I didn't know I should vacuum it. Makes sense, thanks. Becky

Originally Posted by fwan

I dont like lighting my candles i find them too pretty to be distroyed by fire

we dont have a fire ditector in this appartment but the only lights we have are on the window
I just hope everyone else in the appartment is wise too

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Smoke detectors are cheap. You should get one for the room the heater is in and for outside every bedroom door. And at the top of the stairs if you have more than one story. Cheap, cheap insurance. Becky

Hey Kev! Thanks for the heads-up. We're pretty careful about our smoke detectors, and the one upstairs just proved its worth last night while I was cooking sausages so we're OK. What I'm really saying thanks for is your caring enough to remind us. Thanks.

Originally Posted by zanniesmom

I change the batteries in mine every daylight savings change time, both spring and fall. But I didn't know I should vacuum it. Makes sense, thanks. Becky

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Becky - the chambers in a smoke detector are very sensitive as what they do is monitor the size of the particles that enter them. There is naturally a difference between smoke and dust. The purpose of a vac is to suck out the dust particles. Its like a filter, the dust gets trapped, the smoke gets through. Imagaine if you will that the filter has masses of dust in it and therefor, it takes a long time for the smoke particles to pass through. Every second counts - thats why you suck out the dust..
As a second thing, human and animal urine odour can also trigger detectors - been in nursing homes when its been the cause......
K
off to vac on xmas eve - then mend the fence that blew down last night and still waiting for the nastly letter from my ex- boss...

Thanks Kev. A really worthwhile heads up. We've got two detectors - one in the dining room where the air flow from the kitchen would naturally move towards the stairs and one at the top of the stairs before the air gets to any of the bedroom doors. Hubby tests them regularly.


Merry Christmas to you. Forget about your ex-boss - she's not important to you this Christmas.