Sixty-Two Percent of Home Fire Deaths Are Due to Families Not Having Smoke Detectors or Having Smoke Detectors That No Longer Work: Pacific Coast Home Services Offers Safety Tips as a Part of National Fire Safety Month

SAN JOSE, Sept. 21st, 2020 – October is National Fire Safety Month, and Pacific Coast Home Services is celebrating it by providing a series of safety tips that homeowners should know.  This is the first of five releases with helpful information, and it discusses an important topic: protecting homes and families from the potential of fire and smoke.

According to the Home Safety Council, more than 3,000 people die from fires each year.  Eighty percent of those occur while in the home; the majority of those happen when people are sleeping.

“A fire can build and grow in just minutes.  That can cause poisonous gas to build up in a home easily.  If you’re asleep, it’s an extremely dangerous situation.  That’s why smoke alarms are the most important thing all people can have in their homes,” Juan Conchas, Install Manager of Pacific Coast Home Services, said.

According to the National Fire Protection agency, 62 percent of home related fire deaths resulted because the home didn’t have smoke alarms, or the alarms were not functional.  “If your smoke alarms are over 10 years of age, I can’t emphasize enough to have them replaced, or at least inspected at the very least,” Conchas continued.

Here are some smoke alarm safety tips everyone should know:

  • Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of the home as well as outside sleeping areas.
  • For additional protection, install a smoke alarm in each bedroom.
  • Alarms should be tested every month and the batteries replaced at least once a year.
  • Install alarms near the highest pitch of the ceiling, at least four inches away from the wall.
  • Avoid placing alarms too close to the kitchen and bathrooms where fumes and steam can result in false alarms.
  • Purchase smoke alarms that are listed by Underwriters Laboratories (UL).
  • Install special alarms for anyone in your home who is deaf or hearing impaired.
  • Test smoke alarms after returning home when away for more than a few days.

“The best smoke detectors people can have today are interconnected smoke alarms.  If one signals, all of them throughout the home will simultaneously chirp.  This provides families maximum safety—they don’t have to wait until the smoke or fire is perilously close to alert you,” Conchas added.

For more information on Pacific Coast Home Services, visit www.pc-homeservices.com or call (408) 508-6372.