Consumer Product Safety Commission

Test All Smoke Detectors and Annually Replace Batteries
Develop and Rehearse an Escape Plan

CPSC Document #5077
Tragedies can be prevented simply by testing your smoke detector once a month and by annually replacing smoke detector batteries. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends these measures because owner neglect of testing and battery replacement has been a major cause of smoke detector failure in fires.

Every year in the United States, approximately 5,000 people are killed by residential fires. Most fire victims die from inhalation of smoke and toxic gases, not as a result of burns. Most deaths and injuries occur in fires that happen at night while the victims are asleep.

Properly installed and maintained, the home smoke detector is considered one of the best and least expensive means of providing an early warning when a fire begins, before the concentration of smoke reaches a dangerous level or before the fire becomes too intense. There is no doubt about it - smoke detectors save lives, prevent injuries, and minimize property damage by enabling residents to detect fires early in their development. The risk of dying from fires in homes without smoke detectors is twice as high as in homes that have functioning detectors.

Both wired-in and battery-powered smoke detectors should be tested at least once a month or in accordance with the detector manufacturer's recommendation (if more frequent) to make sure they are operating properly. If the smoke detector is battery operated, test it and replace the batteries according to the manufacturer's instructions. Fresh batteries should last approximately one year.

Someone testing their smoke detector

Follow manufacturer's directions for testing the detector.

If your battery-powered detector begins to emit its low-power warning, such as a chirping sound, replace the battery immediately with a fresh one. Better yet, consider making routine replacement of 		batteries a seasonal task, such as when resetting clocks in the fall or spring, or in conjunction with a major event, such as New Year's Day or a birthday. This practice will ensure that your smoke detectors will continue to provide protection for you without your having to purchase a battery when a smoke detector begins to produce its periodic "low battery warning" chirping.

If "nuisance" alarms occur during cooking, or from a smoking fireplace, etc., do not disable your smoke detector. Either fan away the smoke, relocate the detector, or purchase one with a delay switch.

At least one smoke detector should be properly placed on every floor of the home. The most important location is near the bedrooms to provide early warning to all sleeping occupants. A smoke detector should be placed in any bedroom occupied by a smoker.

CPSC also urges consumers to develop and rehearse an escape plan, so that when the smoke detector sounds, family members will react appropriately.

Don't wait for a fire in your home to test your smoke detector ... Do it now: test it, replace its batteries, and sleep with peace of mind.

Place one detector on every floor

Make sure detectors are placed either on the ceiling or 6-12 inches below the ceiling on the wall. Locate smoke detectors away from air vents or registers; high air flow or "dead" spots are to be avoided.
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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from the unreasonable risk of injury or death from 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, you can go to CPSC's forms page and use the first on-line form on that page. Or, you can call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or send the information to info@cpsc.gov. Consumers can obtain this publication and additional publication information from the Publications section of CPSC's web site or by sending your publication request to publications@cpsc.gov. If you would like to receive CPSC's recall notices, subscribing to the email list will send all press releases to you the day they are issued.

This document is in the public domain. It may be reproduced without change in part or whole by an individual or organization without permission. If it is reproduced, however, the Commission would appreciate knowing how it is used. Write the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Office of Information and Public Affairs, Washington, D.C. 20207 or send an e-mail to info@cpsc.gov.