Our Community in Fairfax County, Virginia

Routine maintenance includes three basic steps: vacuum, test, and change the battery.

• Clean the smoke detector monthly by gently vacuuming to remove dust and cobwebs allowing proper airflow through the vents.
• Test the smoke detector every month following the procedures recommended by the manufacturer.
• Replace the battery annually An easy way to remember this is to change the battery every fall at the same time that you change your clocks back from daylight savings time.

Do you hear an annoying chirp in your house from time to time?  Think you have crickets?  Actually, it's probably something much worse-a smoke detector with a dying battery!  That chirp is a reminder to you to install a new battery before the old one goes dead.

Waiting for the chirp before replacing the battery is risking your life.  What if the chirping starts when you go away on vacation, and the battery is dead by the time you get back?  What if the one smoke detector that will someday save your life has a faulty circuit and will not chirp?

Many people have lost their lives in home fires because of dead smoke detector batteries.  Smoldering fires produce large quantities of carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless, fatal gas.  If you're asleep when the gas enters your room, you'll probably never wake up.  But your smoke detector never sleeps, unless it has a dead battery.

If you care enough about your life and the life of your family to bother with smoke detectors in the first place, then take the time to replace the batteries once a year.  Pick a date during the year, such as a holiday, your birthday, or the day in the spring when you change your clocks to daylight saving time, to replace the old batteries with fresh ones.

Free Batteries
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department has initiated a "Battery for Life" program that provides free batteries for every smoke detector in your home.  All you have to do is schedule an appointment with them for a Home Safety Check.  (Of course, you knew there had to be a catch!) They will send a firefighter to your home to help you identify fire hazards and make recommendations on home fire safety.  The number to call is 703-246-3801.

The Fire Department recommends that we test our smoke detectors about once a month, as they don't work forever.  One easy way to test them is to use a broom handle to push the test button.  Also, it is a good idea to gently vacuum the outside of the detector to remove dust and cobwebs every month.  Smoke detector sensors don't work well if they are clogged with dust!

If you do hear a chirping smoke detector, don't remove the battery to remind you to get a new one.  Instead, write a note to yourself and let the smoke detector chirp away until you finally get and install a new battery.

Remember to change the batteries in your smoke detectors when you change your clock to daylight savings time.  It is also a good idea to take a good look at the condition of the smoke alarms now.  If you can't be sure they are trustworthy, go ahead and replace them. The few dollars involved is very minor in comparison to their value in case of fire.

All residential buildings and homes in Fairfax County, including single-family houses, townhouses, apartments and condominiums, are required to have smoke detectors in at least the following locations:

• In the immediate vicinity of bedrooms and/or in all bedrooms, and
• In each story within a dwelling unit, including basements.

For more information on these regulations, contact the Fairfax County Residential Inspections Branch at 703-324-1850 or 703-324-1860. For fire prevention information, call the County Fire and Rescue Department's Fire Prevention Division at 703-246-4849.