Smart Choices in Smoke Alarm Placement

Home is where most people feel the safest – but it’s also where you are most likely to experience a fatal fire. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 85 percent of all fire fatalities – close to 2,650 people annually – occur in a home. Many of these deaths may have been prevented; most fire fatalities happen in the 29 percent of homes that either have inoperable smoke alarms, or no alarms, the NFPA noted.

While three-fourths of U.S. homes have at least one working alarm, the question remains as to whether they have enough alarms. Model code NFPA 72 requires newly constr...