Why is a standalone fire alarm needed?

A dismissive opinion about autonomous smoke detectors can sometimes still be heard from our citizens. Although statistics record an increasing number of cases where autonomous smoke detectors provide timely warnings of danger, thereby averting disaster.

Statistics show that more than 50% of fatal fires occur precisely when a person is asleep. In their sleep, they cannot smell smoke and are therefore most vulnerable. It is possible to detect a fire in a timely manner and thereby prevent fires, loss of life, and material damage by installing an autonomous smoke detector (hereinafter referred to as ASD) in an apartment. Thanks to this small, inexpensive device, the lives of more than 20 people, including children, are saved annually.

A case that claimed the lives of three people occurred on April 5, 2024, at 21:23 when rescuers received a report of a house fire in the village of Glinniki, Tolochin District. Upon arrival at the scene, open burning of a house belonging to the agricultural enterprise "Slavnoye" was observed. The house was inhabited by a pensioner born in 1960 and her cohabitant born in 1967. As it later turned out, on that day, a local resident born in 1967 was visiting the homeowners. The living rooms were equipped with ASDs installed at the expense of OJSC "Slavnoye", however, at the time of the fire, the power elements were missing. During the firefighting operations, the bodies of the aforementioned citizens were discovered by the Ministry of Emergency Situations workers under the collapsed structures of the house. As a result of the fire, the roof and property were destroyed, and the ceiling and walls were damaged. The considered version of the cause of the fire is careless handling of fire while smoking by the deceased.

In the morning of April 23, rescuers of the Slutsk District Department for Emergency Situations received a report of a residential building fire in the village of Anufrovichi. Upon arrival at the scene, rescuers observed smoke emanating from under the roof of the residential building. It turned out that at the time of the fire, everyone was asleep – a retired couple and their grandson. The hostess heard the autonomous fire alarm activate and attempted to pull out her grandson, but was unsuccessful. Rescuers found the hostess's grandson on the floor in the room where the fire originated, and her husband in the adjacent room. Both were carried out into the fresh air by the Ministry of Emergency Situations staff and handed over to the ambulance crew. The cause of the incident is being determined. The considered version is careless handling of fire while smoking.

The API is installed on the horizontal surface of the ceiling at a distance of at least one meter from lighting fixtures and 0.5 meters from the wall. The installation of the detector does not require special knowledge or skills. For dismantling, it is sufficient to turn the device counterclockwise. The detector is powered by a single "Krona" type battery. It is recommended to clean the fire detector from dust using a vacuum cleaner once a year and to check its operability every month by pressing the test button.

A flashing red LED signal located on the API housing indicates its proper functioning and standby mode. Upon detection of smoke, the API emits an intermittent audible alarm with a constant red LED illumination. To stop the detector's audible alarm, the source of smoke must be eliminated and the room ventilated.