New NYC Smoke Alarm Law for Multi-Family Properties to Help Save Lives

Mebane, NC, April 14, 2014 New smoke alarm regulations go into effect this month that will help property owners provide a safer living environment for their tenants while also reducing maintenance calls. As of April 1, New York City multi-family property owners must install 10-year, sealed battery smoke or combination smoke/CO alarms when replacing outdated, missing or damaged units. Alarms like the Kidde Worry-Free sealed-battery smoke alarms comply with this new law. Kidde Fire Safety, a leading manufacturer of residential fire safety products, is part of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

Missing or disconnected batteries are the main reason smoke alarms fail to operate in residential fires. A recent survey conducted on behalf of Kidde, ranked late-night low-battery chirps as the top smoke alarm annoyance, yet 40 percent of respondents would choose to either disconnect the alarm or wait a day or more to replace the battery. A long-life battery sealed inside an alarm makes it virtually tamper proof and eliminates the risk of tenants disabling the alarm. The New York City Fire Department (FDNY) reports more than 77 percent of last years fire-related fatalities occurred in residences without working smoke alarms. Already this year, nine New Yorkers have perished in fires where no smoke alarm was present.

A working smoke alarm is critical to surviving a fire in the home. By alerting residents when a fire is present, smoke alarms provide the early alert and time needed to escape, said Lieutenant Anthony Mancuso, director of Fire Safety Education for FDNY. We encourage property owners and residents to understand the importance of smoke alarms, to replace any outdated, damaged or missing alarms to comply with the new law, and to help keep New York City families safe.

Local Law 1111-2013 amends New York Citys administrative and building codes. The requirement affects all Class A and Class B residential dwellings, and requires replacement alarms to comply with UL 217 standard. The law states that property owners can be reimbursed by a tenant up to $50 per installation of each 10-year sealed smoke or combination alarm. The tenant has one year from the date of installation to make compensation. The tenant is required to maintain these alarms and replace any that are missing or rendered inoperable during their occupancy.

Kiddes Worry-Free battery-powered smoke and combination alarms contain a sealed-in tamper proof battery proven to power the alarm for 10 years. Additionally, each is designed with location-specific features, such as super-bright LEDs in the Hallway Alarm. Kiddes Worry-Free Kitchen Alarm includes smart-sensing technology to minimize, if not eliminate, cooking-related nuisance alarms. 

Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed Local Law 1111-2013 in late December 2013. For more information on New York Citys law, visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/homeowners/carbon_monoxide.shtml