According to the United States Fire Administration (USFA), there were over 350,000 residential fires in 2019 and they accounted for 72% of all fire deaths, 76% of all fire injuries, and 46% of all fire dollar loss. There’s no telling when a fire might occur or just how damaging they can be. Despite how popular and appealing mobile home living is today, owning or renting one doesn’t bar you from the many dangers of a fire.
So, why do you need a smoke alarm?
A smoke alarm is vital to the detection of a fire in your mobile home and can be the difference between life and death. This is because smoke often travels much quicker than heat once a fire ignites. Once your smoke alarm detects incoming smoke, it alerts everyone inside the home.
This gives you and your family an ample amount of time to react and respond to the fire. Since time is of the essence, especially in a mobile home’s close quarters, you and your family can initiate your escape plan and contact the local fire department for help as soon as possible.
Safety Tips for Smoke Alarms
Despite how necessary a smoke alarm is homeowners often neglect them. In fact, most homeowners are not aware of the many requirements and best practices associated with smoke alarm safety in your mobile home.
With that said, let’s take a look at our most prominent safety tips for smoke alarm safety:
Install a smoke alarm in each bedroom, outside each sleeping area, and in the living room.
It’s best to install interconnected smoke alarms to ensure they all sound when one sounds.
You should install both photoelectric and ionization detectors on each level of the home.
Keep ionization detectors away from cooking areas to avoid false alarms.
Make sure your smoke alarms are installed high on a wall or on the ceiling.
Never remove or disconnect your smoke alarm.
Test your smoke alarm every month and replace them every 10 years.
Install smoke alarms with house wiring and with a battery back-up in case of a power outage.
If your smoke alarms aren’t equipped with carbon monoxide detection, either install a carbon monoxide alarm or replace them with a multi-sensing alarm.
If you’re hearing impaired, equip your mobile home with specialty smoke alarms with strobe lights and bed shakers.
In the event of a fire, you should always make sure your household has a safe and effective escape plan. Determine a meeting spot outside the home and always have two ways out of each room. Practice this escape plan twice a year to keep everyone on the same page.
If you’re interested in reading more tips and advice on mobile home living or are interested in renting a manufactured home in Indiana, Kentucky, or Ohio, you’ve come to the right place. Contact mPark Homes today or visit our website at www.mparkhomes.com to learn more!