As some of you know, I'm an Electrical inspector here in Michigan. I amazes me how often people get upset when I go into a home and tell the owners they need to add electric w/ battery back up smoke detectors. I now have a personal story to share with them about how they save lives. Last Saturday around 6am, I was awakened by the sound of sirens. I looked at my bedroom window and saw lights flashing against the blinds. When I looked out, my neighbors house was burning.
I got a chance to talk to the owners and found out that it was the detectors that saved their lives. Phil and the 5 kids were all in bed by 11pm and his wife, her cousin and her cousin's husband stayed up till around 4:30am playing rock band. Phil is a heavy sleeper and doesn't wake up easily at night. The other 3 adults were all very sleepy from being up so late. The fire started in the garage and smoke eventually made it into the house and set off the alarms. If the alarms weren't installed or were dis-abled this would be a far more tragic post.
Without the detectors going off the house would have continued to fill with smoke which carries with it carbon monoxide. They would have all likely died of smoke inhilation/carbon monoxide poisoning long before the flames would have gotten to them. The house looks like a total loss, but they are insured. They lost the house and 2 of their cars, the 3rd cars keys were lost in the fire so they are using a neighbors car.
(The boat was in storage)
Please everyone, Install smoke detectors in your homes. There should be 1 in every bedroom and 1 adjacent to every bedroom (like in a hallway) and 1 on every level. It's best to have them hard wired, with battery back up and interconnected so if one goes off it sets them all off. There are now some battery type detectors that will set all the other detectors off if one goes off. If you have them already test them. I had to replace all mine last year after a near lightning strike. They barely made any sound at all. We all went to live to fish another day, and keep our families safe.
Gene
I got a chance to talk to the owners and found out that it was the detectors that saved their lives. Phil and the 5 kids were all in bed by 11pm and his wife, her cousin and her cousin's husband stayed up till around 4:30am playing rock band. Phil is a heavy sleeper and doesn't wake up easily at night. The other 3 adults were all very sleepy from being up so late. The fire started in the garage and smoke eventually made it into the house and set off the alarms. If the alarms weren't installed or were dis-abled this would be a far more tragic post.
Without the detectors going off the house would have continued to fill with smoke which carries with it carbon monoxide. They would have all likely died of smoke inhilation/carbon monoxide poisoning long before the flames would have gotten to them. The house looks like a total loss, but they are insured. They lost the house and 2 of their cars, the 3rd cars keys were lost in the fire so they are using a neighbors car.
(The boat was in storage)
Please everyone, Install smoke detectors in your homes. There should be 1 in every bedroom and 1 adjacent to every bedroom (like in a hallway) and 1 on every level. It's best to have them hard wired, with battery back up and interconnected so if one goes off it sets them all off. There are now some battery type detectors that will set all the other detectors off if one goes off. If you have them already test them. I had to replace all mine last year after a near lightning strike. They barely made any sound at all. We all went to live to fish another day, and keep our families safe.
Gene
