(NAPSA)—They look like small, plastic boxes, round or square, stuck upon the wall or the ceiling—but they could save your life. They're smoke Wore alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Facts And Figures On average, eight people die in a homefire each day in the U.S.—almost 3,000 people every year. While working smoke alarmscut the chance of dying in a fire nearly in half, roughly two-thirds ofall homefire deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms, according to the National Fire Protection Association. As for carbon monoxide detectors, more than 200 peopledie from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning in the US. annually. Several thousand more are treated in hospital emergency roomsfor COpoisoning.Yet an estimated 70 per- cent of U.S. homesare notprotected by a working CO alarm. COis created when commonfuels such as naturalgas, oil, wood or coal burn incompletely. This odorless, colorless, tasteless gas is often called the“silent killer” because it is virtually undetectable without the use of propertechnology. Youcan be poisoned by a small amountof CO over a longer timeas well as by a large amountover a shortertime. What You Need To Know For the best protection, smoke alarms should beinterconnected, so that theyall soundif one sounds. Manufacturers are now producing battery-operated alarms that are interconnected by wireless technology. Combination smoke alarms that include bothionization and photoelectric alarmsoffer the most comprehensive protection. Anionization alarm is moreresponsiveto flames, while a pho- toelectric alarm is more responsive to a smolderingfire. Hardwired smoke alarmswith battery backupsare considered to be more reliable than those operatedsolely by batteries. WhatYou Need To Do Install smoke alarms in every bedroom,outside eachsleepingarea, and Properly installed and maintained smokeand carbon monoxide alarms could save thousands of lives a year—maybe evenyours. on every levelof the homeincluding in hallways and the basement. + Choose alarms that bear the label of a nationally recognized testing laboratory. Install smoke alarmsat least 10 feet from cooking appliances to reduce the possibility offalse alarms. If possible, alarms should be mounted in the centerofa ceiling. If mounted on a wall, they should besix to 12 inchesbelow theceiling. + Avoid locating alarms near bathrooms, heating appliances, windows or ceiling fans. Test your alarms every month by pressingthe TEST button. + Replace the batteries at least once a year. If an alarm “chirps” or “beeps” to indicate low batteries, replace them immediately. + Occasionally dust orlightly vacuum theexteriorofthe alarm. + Replace thealarmsin accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, butat least every 10 years. + Neverpaintoveran alarm. + If you havedifficulty hearing, you can get alarms with low-pitched sounds or vibrations. Learn More For further facts and tips on how to stay safe from fire, by the experts at Electrical Safety Foundation International, the premier nonprofit organization dedicated exclusively to promotingelectrical safety at homeandin the workplace, visit www.esfi.org.
