Apartment Fire Safety April 2021

City of Seattle, Washington sent this bulletin at 04/08/2021 09:05 AM PDT

April 2021 Apartment Fire Safety

"End-of-life" signals on carbon monoxide alarms

Beginning in early 2020, the Seattle Fire Department began receiving a higher than usual number of 9-1-1 calls from concerned residents because of chirping carbon monoxide (CO) alarms. While it’s important to call 9-1-1 if your CO alarm is sounding continuously without stopping, a CO alarm that chirps every 30 seconds is not an emergency. Most likely, it’s an indication that your CO alarm has reached its end of life and should be replaced.

CO alarm life span

CO alarms have a life expectancy of around seven years. All CO alarms produced after August 1, 2009, have an end-of-life warning notification that alerts the resident that the alarm should be replaced. The CO alarm will beep every 30 seconds or display ERR or END.

If a CO alarm is at its end-of-life, replacing the battery will not stop the beep. Some CO alarms have a feature that will silence the signal for 30 days, but this will not solve the issue as the CO alarm will continue to beep after the 30 day period ends.

What people should know

In January of 2013, Washington State law (RCW 19.27.530) required CO alarms to be installed in new residences and in existing rental properties. Owner-occupied single-family residences, legally occupied before July 26, 2009, are not required to have CO alarms until they are sold or when a building permit application for interior remodeling is submitted.

Homeowners should consider replacing all CO alarms that were installed in or before 2014. A CO alarm that signals that it’s at the end of its life should be replaced as well.

Renters should notify property managers or landlords immediately if their CO alarm is beeping every 30 seconds indicating its end-of-life. They should also know that intermittent beeping CO alarm is not reason to call 9-1-1.

A CO alarm that beeps continuously without stopping could indicate that carbon monoxide is present. If you your CO alarm is sounding continuously and you have signs of CO poisoning such as dizziness, headache, vomiting or flu like symptoms, find fresh air and call 9-1-1 immediately.

More information on carbon monoxide alarm requirements

Seattle Fire Department’s CAM 5121 Carbon Monoxide Alarm Requirements in Residential Occupancies

Rooftop fires and smoking materials

Every spring and summer as the weather warms up, the Seattle Fire Department sees an increase in the number of rooftop building fires.

The most common cause of these fires is improperly discarded smoking materials. A fire caused by smoking materials can smolder unnoticed for hours before turning destructive. Most of the fires occur between May and October.

Even when smoking is not allowed on rooftops, fire Investigators frequently find cigarette butts in planter boxes and in garbage cans. Residents should be informed not to discard cigarettes in vegetation such as mulch, potted plants or landscaping, peat moss, dried grasses, leaves or other materials that could ignite easily.

Fire safety tips to prevent rooftop fires from smoking materials:

Use metal garbage cans and empty them regularly
Post “No Smoking” signs and provide non-combustible repositories for smoking materials
Water plants and vegetation regularly
Install fire extinguishers on the rooftop deck or near the entrance to it.

For questions or more information, contact the Seattle Fire Department.

Virtual apartment fire safety presentations

The Seattle Fire Department is providing free virtual fire safety presentations to apartment residents and staff. Presentations for residents cover how to respond to a building fire alarm, what to do if a fire starts inside an apartment, and how to prevent and respond to a cooking fire on the stove. Staff members can learn the ways to assist the fire department before and during a fire emergency.

For more information or to schedule a presentation contact Public Affairs.