Did you know that 3 out of 5 deaths caused by fires occur in homes with defective or absent smoke alarms? Our team is sensitive to these stories and hears about these types of incidents way too often in the news. Unfortunately, we have taken on management of way too many units that have had extremely inadequate or no detectors.
Here at RL, standard property inspections are completed every 3 months by our in-house maintenance team to check up on several things, including smoke, fire and carbon monoxide detectors. We test the batteries on each detector and determine how old each is, automatically replacing any that are older than 10 years. Extensive records of these inspections and information on safety equipment found during the inspection are kept for future reference.
Our single sensor, battery powered smoke detectors, BRK single detector-FG250B, are checked and installed as needed in each bedroom of each unit. These detectors have a ionization sensor that are generally good at detecting flaming fires.
Dual sensor detectors have both ionization and photoelectric sensors. Photoelectric sensors are generally good at detecting smoldering fires. RL Property Management places these dual sensor detectors in the common areas on each floor of the unit. RL uses detectors such as First Alert-SA320CN, Kidde-Pi9010, and Universal Security Instruments-MI3050SB.
If unit “hard-wired” detector systems are already in place, those are used instead of the battery powered detectors described above. RL Property Management ensures that all detectors in a wired system are connected. We commonly find that these detectors have been disconnected from the other detectors in the system as having an entire house of detectors go off at the same time can be irritating.
Carbon monoxide is created when common fuels such as natural gas burn incompletely, sometimes referred to as the silent killer. It is poisonous, odorless, and colorless; a virtually invisible gas without a CO detector. A unit is not at risk of CO exposure unless there is a gas utility service at the property. Appliances that may use gas include the furnace, the cooking range, a hot water tank, or a gas fireplace. The carbon monoxide detectors used by RL Property management include the First Alert-CO400B, Kidde-9C05-LP or KN-COB-B-LPM. CO detectors are placed in the basement and the first (main) floor of each unit.
Our goal at RL Property Management Group is to ensure that all of our residents are protected with the correct number, type and placement of detectors.
If you are looking for a property management team that has several decades of experience dealing with nothing but property management including the issues described above, do not hesitate to reach out to RL Property Management Group. Contact Us Here.
RL Property Management Group, the only property management company in Columbus started and run by engineers. Our clients enjoy a premium property management experience without paying a premium price. RL Property Management is designed to provide our clients reliability and performance.
