SOMETHING NO HOME SHOULD BE WITHOUT
Written: Sep 06 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Small and efficient and extremely important
Cons: no cons at all
The Bottom Line: First Alert warns you of impending fires. Why would you not have a unit in your house? I'd rate this 10 stars if we had such a category.
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| Donnie013's Full Review: First Alert Basic Smoke & Fire Alarm |
We’ve been very lucky. Very careful and very lucky - yet as careful as we are, there are times when luck plays a roll in our daily events. Take one of our neighbors, for instance. Although the homes in our area have a city code of mandatory fire/smoke alarms, that city code won’t prevent fires - it will only prevent loss of life should a fire occur.
That happened around Christmas. A neighbor awakened in the wee hours of the morning to the blaring of her fire/smoke alarm and immediately ran outside. It took her less than five minutes to run to her next door neighbor, pound on his door and have him call 9-1-1.
Her life was saved by her fire/smoke alarm.
There are many different kinds on the market but I found the easiest on to install and maintain is the FIRST ALERT BASIC SMOKE & FIRE ALARM unit.
This is so easy to install, many fire departments give them away to those who ask for them, like my mom did. One of the firemen actually installed it for her.
The fireman indicated that they chose the FIRST ALERT model for their safety campaign for the many features this unit offers.
First of all, it has what is known as IONIZATION TECHNOLOGY. Which means that it can detect a small smoldering fire before it gets to a roaring blaze.
It is EASY TO INSTALL. Just measure the span of the screw holes on the back of the unit. Draw a faint line on your ceiling or wall and install the two screws that come with the unit to the depth of the instructions. Then place the unit on the screws and slide it gently until it catches on them. Piece of cake.
I won’t pretend to know about the 85-decibel loudness but when we tested it after installation, I can tell you IT’S EXTREMELY LOUD.
Should the alarm go off while you’re cooking (which happens frequently), there is a SILENCE BUTTON so your neighbors won’t think you’re burning the house down and call 9-1-1.
Recently, the batteries needed changing. This unit isn’t like a flashlight where you only know if the batteries are dying when you turn it on. This unit has a LOW BATTERY WARNING SYSTEM that causes the unit to “chirp” when the batteries begin to wear out.
If you don’t want to wait until the batteries wear out to find out if the unit works, you can always depress the TEST BUTTON. Not only will it let you know the batteries are good but also that the unit, itself, is in working order.
But then, you only need to look at it and see the POWER INDICATOR to know that it’s working. It’s a small green light that blinks constantly while the unit works properly.
When it’s time to change the battery, there is no need to remove the unit from the ceiling or wall. Just pull out the SLIDE BATTERY DRAWER. It’s that easy!
Another thing to like about this unit is that IT COMES WITH YOUR FIRST 9V BATTERY! How’s that for convenience?
I was so impressed with this, that when I told my mom about it, she immediately walked to the firehouse near her home and inquired it they still gave them away. She was delighted when they told her yes and asked how many she thought she needed. Since she wasn’t sure, the fireman drove her home and inspected her house and then installed the necessary amount of FIRST ALERT units he thought she needed.
These FIRST ALERT BASIC SMOKE & FIRE ALARMS are very reasonably prices. You can find them, usually in any store, for about $10.00. When you think that just one of these little devices might save your life one day, the price is well worth it.
I know that I sleep better at night knowing that the homes of my mom and sons (and mine) are safer for us now that the smoke alarms are installed. If you don’t have one, I strongly encourage you to get one or however many you might feel you need.
If you’re not sure how many you need for your home, you can either ask your local fire department or go to the First Alert website.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Donnie013
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 - Top 200 |
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Member: Margaret Brennan
Location: Punta Gorda Isles, FL
Reviews written: 453
Trusted by: 288 members
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