Smoke Detector Programs

Smoke alarms save lives, but only if they are properly installed and functioning. Working smoke alarms give you early warning so you can get outside quickly. Most fatalities happen in homes without working smoke alarms.

Smoke Alarm Safety Tips

• Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement. Larger homes may need additional smoke alarms. It is best to have smoke alarms inside every bedroom. For the best protection, interconnect all smoke alarms, so when one sounds, they all sound. Most smoke alarms are interconnected by being hard-wired so that when one sounds, they all sound. In homes where alarms are not hard-wired, wireless smoke alarms can be used so alarms will be interconnected.
• Test smoke alarms at least once per month using the test button to make certain they are working.
• Batteries should be replaced in your smoke alarm at least once per year. Ankeny Fire Department recommends you change your batteries when you change your clocks each fall at the end of Daylight Savings Time. Install a new battery immediately if an alarm chirps to indicate a low battery.
• A ten-year lithium battery smoke alarm does not need to have its battery changed. Replace smoke alarms that use extended-life lithium batteries when the detector chirps or fails to respond to testing. The batteries in these units cannot be replaced.
• False Alarms should be silenced using the hush button. Never remove the battery.
• Replace smoke alarms every 10 years. After 10 years, your smoke alarm will have been working for 87,000 consecutive hours. If you do not know how old your smoke alarm is, or if it is 10 years or older, replace it as soon as possible.
• Families should know who does and does not awaken to the sound of the smoke alarm. It is a good idea to test your alarms occasionally at night when many family members are sleeping to determine who wakes up to the sounds of the alarm.

Smoke Alarm Assistance

Do you need assistance with your smoke alarms? The Ankeny Fire Department will provide smoke alarm and/or batteries free of charge to residents in need of assistance due to financial concerns. We also will assist in the installation of alarms or changing of batteries for residents that are senior citizens or disabled. For assistance with smoke alarms, call the Ankeny Fire Department.