HOW OLD IS YOUR SMOKE ALARM?

by Mike Coates
FBP Journal

While painting the second floor hall in our townhouse it occurred to me that the hardwired smoke alarm had been attached to the hall ceiling for the fourteen years we had lived here and who knows for how long prior to that time.  Other than changing the back up battery every six months


it never occured to me to check the age of the smoke alarm and whether or not it was due for replacement.

Going online I discovered that smoke alarms have a life expectancy of approximately 10 years regardless if it is a hardwired or a battery operated model.  When I examined my hardwired smoke alarm I discovered that it had expired in 2003 and that for the past 10 years we had been relying on an outdated alarm to protect us in case of fire.  Checking my neighbours hardwired smoke alarm I discovered that its effective life had expired in 1996.

Researching further, I also discovered that smoke alarms should be located on each floor and in particular in bedrooms and hallways. I also discovered that like most technology the quality of the product over time goes up and the price of the product goes down.

I have now replaced the smoke alarms in our townhouse with the latest model and also have added a third smoke alarm for approximatly $65 total cost. It is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

So in answer to the question "HOW OLD IS YOUR SMOKE ALARM?"  I can truthfully say "our alarms are new." The question now remains to be asked "how old are your smoke alarms?"

City of Surrey BC Fire Protection