First Alert & NVFC Educate Fire Service Community About the Latest Smoke Alarm Standards
First Alert, America’s most trusted fire safety brand*, is partnering with America’s volunteer first responders to sound the alarm on the importance of updated smoke alarm standards. Together with the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), First Alert developed a new training module focused on significant changes to smoke alarm standards outlined in Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 217, Standard for Smoke Alarms, 8th Edition.
The training, which is free to the first 500 registered participants, is available in the NVFC’s Virtual Classroom.
In addition, First Alert donated 250 Precision Detection™ smoke alarms to volunteer fire departments, which will make an immediate impact on the communities these volunteers serve. The first 10 NVFC members to complete the course will each receive 25 alarms to distribute or install in their communities.
The new course – the latest in a series of educational trainings developed between First Alert and the NVFC – focuses on the history of smoke alarm standards, advancements in smoke alarm technology, and how the updated edition addresses modern construction materials and home furnishings. The increased use of synthetics in home furnishings along with open floor plans and higher ceilings have decreased the average time people have to escape a home fire safely from 10-15 minutes in the 1970s to just one to two minutes today.
The training also provides expert insight for volunteer firefighters interested in producing a public education campaign of their own along with tools to help educate their constituencies about the benefits of the new smoke alarm technology.
“First Alert has been protecting homes and families for more than 65 years, providing each generation with reliable, quality, and trustworthy fire safety technology,” said Ashley Gocken, Marketing Director with First Alert Safety and Security. “Modernizations of the home require updated standards in response, which then demand innovative technology from a trusted, reliable source to monitor and preserve the safety of individuals and their families.”
The product donation will help fire departments increase community safety by equipping more homes with the latest in smoke detection technology. First Alert Precision Detection devices are also engineered to address the requirements related to nuisance alarms, the often unwanted and non-emergency alarms that may be caused by non-fire cooking smoke or steam.
“Education is one of the best weapons we have in fighting fire, and remaining aware of the latest standards to protect our communities is a responsibility all volunteer first responders take seriously,” said Steve Hirsch, NVFC chair. “First Alert’s donation of educational and physical resources will help the volunteer fire service better understand the latest in smoke alarm standards.”
