Precautions for Early Warning of a Fire

WAKE UP urges homeowners to take all possible precautions to make sure they have early warning of a fire in their home and will wake up in sufficient time to save their lives.

• Fires most often start at night
• A fire doubles in size every 30 seconds
• Fires can spread quickly
• The smoke from a fire is the real killer
• Smoke suffocates quickly, making it impossible to wake up
• Smoke inhalation may mean you are dead before the flames reach you

WAKE UP says you cannot assume just because you have a working smoke detector in your house that its alarm will wake you. 

• The detector may not be located close enough to the fire to activate in time
• The sound of the smoke alarm may be weakened passing through closed doors
• The sound of the smoke alarm may be weakened because it is located on another floor