Smoke Detectors

Smoke detectors save lives! At least 1 smoke detector is required for every residence in Cedar Hill.

Placement & Maintenance

The Cedar Hill Fire Department and the National Fire Protection Association recommend smoke detectors in every sleeping area, and on every level of your home. Smoke detectors should be tested every week. New batteries should be installed at least once a year. Should you need assistance in installing, or properly maintaining your smoke detectors, please call the Fire Department at 972.291.1011.

Proper Smoke Detector Placement

Where you place smoke detectors depends on the size and layout of your home and where people sleep in your home. Since the primary job of a smoke detector is to awaken sleeping persons and warn them of urgent danger, put your detector as close as possible to the bedrooms or other places where people frequently sleep. If 2 sleeping areas are separated, each should have its own detector. The hallway next to the bedrooms or other sleeping areas should be a priority location for detectors. In homes with more than 1 sleeping area on the same level or on different levels, a smoke detector should be installed to protect each separate sleeping area. If bedroom doors are normally closed at night, detector locations within each bedroom might be considered, particularly if the occupant smokes in bed. Closed doors usually offer some protection against both fire and smoke from outside the room. However, they may make it more difficult to hear a detector alarm outside the bedroom. More significantly, they can keep smoke produced by a fire in a bedroom from reaching a detector in the hall.

Multi-Story Homes

It is a good idea to make certain there is 1 on each level of the house. In a house where the bedrooms are upstairs, one detector should be near the top of the stairs to the bedroom area. Don't put detectors within 6 inches of where walls and ceilings meet, or near heating and cooling ducts. Detectors located in these areas may not receive the flow of smoke required to activate the alarm. 

Single Level Homes

In single level homes, the detector should be placed in the hallway near the bedrooms. In a 1-floor plan with only 1 sleeping area, the smoke detector should be placed between the sleeping area and the rest of the house. If you are installing multiple detectors, put 1 near each sleeping area.