Fall & Winter Months Bring An Increase In Smoke & Fire Related Emergencies

Heating, holiday decorations, winter storms and candles all contribute to an increased risk of fire during the winter months.¹ It's a frightening reality that's compounded by the fact that fire departments across the United States annually respond to an emergency every 24 seconds.²

That's well over one million emergency calls attached to home fires. These are real numbers that indicate that the undetected presence of smoke and fire continues to wreak havoc on American lives. Having a series of fully operational smoke and fire alarms throughout your home remains the best defense against this danger. There's simply no replacing the window of time afforded to homeowners when a smoke detector alerts its surroundings.

The USI Store features a large selection of lifesaving smoke and fire detectors that implement multi criteria sensors and lengthy 10 year batteries that ensure enhanced smoke and fire safety. The new series known as Universal Sensing Security Plus Smoke Alarms was partly created to minimize the likelihood of homeowners disabling their smoke and fire detectors due to nuisance alarms. Given that this is often the primary reason for homeowners to deactivate their smoke detectors, it was essential to incorporate a built-in microprocessor that virtually eliminates all nuisance alarms. You'll be alerted when smoke is actively present in the surrounding area of the alarm. Sensing Security Plus Alarms also implement multi criteria detection sensors that ensure double coverage by detecting slow smoldering and fast flaming fires. To get the best result from installing your USI Smoke Detectors, you'll want to follow these home installation guidelines:

Universal Security Instruments Smoke Alarms: Maximizing Effectiveness Against Deadly Fires

• Install at least one smoke detector on every level within your home. You'll want to pay close attention to bedrooms and other areas where someone might sleep.

• Be diligent in performing checkups on your smoke and fire alarms by testing them throughout the year. USI Smoke Alarms come equipped with a test button that will audibly inform you of the detector's functionality.

• Be mindful of a smoke detector's lifespan. There's always a chance that smoke alarms in any home aren't operating on a similar time line. To make life a little easier, we'd suggest installing USI 10 Year Alarms together. This will give you a much better idea of when to replace installed smoke alarms.

Following these three guidelines will put you and your home in an excellent position to defend against this all too real danger. Still, it's never quite enough. Using the time created by USI Smoke Detectors to escape from a potentially dangerous scenario is what really matters. When every second counts, you'll need to know exactly what to do and how to do it. That's why we'd encourage all families to create a fire escape plan unique to their family and home. Search for multiple exits for each room and coordinate a plan that safely sees the entire family out of harm's way as quickly as possible.

---

* National Fire Protection Association

* Journal of the American Medical Association