All About Smoke Detectors

By law, you are required to have smoke detectors in your home. You might already know this, but you may not realize that those smoke detectors need to be correctly positioned within the home to ensure they can do their job and properly detect smoke or fire.

If you have never installed a smoke detector before or just want to ensure you have them adequately positioned, read on to learn where you should be placing smoke detectors in your home.

In the bedroom

Place a smoke detector inside each of the bedrooms in your home. This helps monitor the smoke levels in a place where an individual sleeps, giving them enough time and warning to get out of the house if a fire is detected. If you cannot hang a smoke detector inside the bedroom, position one close to the room’s outside door.

Near stairwells

Another place to position smoke detectors in your home is near your stairwells. Place your smoke detector near the top or bottom of the stairs or in the middle of the stairwell.

In the event of a fire, individuals in your home need to use the stairwells to exit the upper floors or the basement quickly and easily. A stairwell smoke detector helps those in your home know whether fire and smoke is present in that space or whether they need to exit through windows on the bottom or upper floors.

In common living areas

Besides bedrooms and stairwells, you should also have smoke detectors in common living areas. This includes the living room, family room, and den to ensure maximum safety of inhabitants. In addition to these common living areas, install a smoke detector on every floor of your home, including the basement.

Smoke detectors are one piece of a home security system

Properly placed smoke detectors in your home is the first, most important step to keeping your home and family safe in the event of a fire. To enhance your safety and that of your family, use a home security system that can monitor the smoke detectors for you.

If the alarm goes off, a home monitoring system can alert the fire department and send them to your home right away. Every second matters when it comes to a fire, and a professionally monitored system can make the difference when it comes to fire safety.

When you need a home monitoring system, Brinks Home™ is here to help. In addition to 24/7 security monitoring, we also offer fire and life safety monitoring, contact us today to help keep your home and family safe.

Allison Clark is a senior writer for Brinks Home. She enjoys educating others on the benefits of smart home security and using technology to simplify everyday life.