UL Solutions has updated its smoke alarm standards, requiring smoke alarm manufacturers to meet new requirements by June 30, 2024. Known as UL 217 8th Edition, this update helps improve fire safety in today’s homes. To meet these standards, First Alert - the most trusted brand in fire safety* – has introduced Precision DetectionTM advanced sensing technology, which is featured in smoke and combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms now available nationwide.
Benefits of First Alert Precision Detection
First Alert Precision Detection alarms are designed and tested to provide early warning in the event of a home fire emergency and reduce nuisance alarms.
Provide Early Warning
In a home fire emergency, every second counts. Modern homes tend to be built and furnished with lighter, synthetic materials that burn hotter and faster – and feature layouts with higher ceilings and open floor plans – that may result in less time for a safe evacuation if a fire breaks out. Consequently, escape times are now shorter – reduced from 10-15 minutes in the 1970s to 1-2 minutes today, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Precision Detection helps better detect and warn of fires in homes built and furnished with modern construction materials, where fires can spread more quickly.
Reduce Nuisance Alarms
Another benefit of Precision Detection alarms: they are engineered to better detect nuisance alarms, like non-fire smoke from cooking. The number one reason why people disable smoke alarms in their home is due to nuisance alarms caused by cooking or steam (NFPA). Because almost 3 of every 5 home fire deaths result from fires where no smoke alarms or working smoke alarms were present, it is important to install and maintain your home’s alarms (NFPA).
Home Fire Safety Tips
Current smoke alarms will continue to provide protection until they reach their end of life. Remember, alarms don’t last forever and need to be replaced at least every 10 years. If it is time to replace your alarms, if you need additional alarms in your home to help ensure your family is protected or want to upgrade to the latest technology, you can purchase First Alert Precision Detection Alarms now available. Among the variety of Precision Detection alarms available are models with a 10-year sealed battery, which eliminates battery replacement and late-night battery chirps for a decade; alarms with voice and location alerts that tell you the type of danger and the location so you can better plan your escape to safety; hardwired smoke alarms, which are increasingly being required by local codes for new construction; and combination smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms that provide protection against the dual threats of smoke and CO.
As you prepare to shop for new fire safety products, keep these safety tips in mind to help protect your home and family.
- Install smoke alarms on every level of the home, including the basement inside every bedroom and in the main corridors according to the recommendations from the NFPA.
- To put this into perspective, a two-story, three-bedroom house needs a minimum of five smoke alarms.
- Once alarms are installed, be sure to properly maintain them by testing your alarms regularly and replacing the batteries at least every 6 months. However, with the added benefit of 10-year sealed battery smoke alarms, you won’t need to worry about replacing the batteries for the life of the alarm, but it’s still important to test the alarm.
- P.A.S.S. the fire extinguishers. Fire extinguishing devices should be easily accessible in key areas of the home, like the kitchen and garage, and it’s also crucial to know how to use them quickly, should a fire start. When selecting a fire extinguisher, consider a multi-purpose device that is easy to handle in the event of a home fire emergency.
Install First Alert Precision Detection alarms to help protect what matters most.
*First Alert Brand Trust Survey, March 2023 – Results are based on the responses of 1,043 adult homeowners, ages 25 and older, living in the United States who completed an online survey asking them to choose from six brands in the smoke, fire and carbon monoxide protection space.