Your ordinary smoke alarms in Austin may be falling short
Defending against fire is important, and smoke detectors play a critical part in keeping your family safe. Despite that fact, smoke detectors have their shortcomings. For instance, they can only react to smoke, not heat. In the event there is a fire in your residence, you would not be alerted before the smoke reaches the smoke detector. While there are further telltale signs of fire -- including a sudden heat increase -- if you don’t have smoke, you will fail to get a triggered smoke detector.
What’s more, smoke detectors only activate when they encounter ample smoke. If a fire starts small, you might not be cautioned until it's too late. Many smoke detectors use dual-sensor technology, which means they will detect smoke from both a raging fire and something less intense. If they sound their alarm, it's up to the occupant to call first responders after safely leaving the residence.