Professional Fire Protection Engineer Creates Alarm Arm No Ladder Smoke Alarm That Increases Fire Protection and Makes Smoke Alarm Installation and Replacing Batteries Safe.

CHICAGO, IL, September 22, 2010 (Press-News.org) The Alarm Arm provides many advantages over ladders. The design allows for a quick and easy installation of smoke alarms while standing on the floor and can even be used while sitting in a wheelchair. No more dangerous falls off ladders, no more cumbersome ladders to drag around the house, and no mess to clean up. With the Alarm Arm, installing smoke alarms takes minutes, and changing batteries takes seconds.

"I installed a smoke alarm using the Alarm Arm in five minutes while standing," says John Williams. Williams has a neuromuscular disorder and has difficulty using his left hand. He adds, "I nearly put the smoke alarm up using one hand."

The idea for creating the Alarm Arm came to Fire Protection Engineer Tim McGreal eight years ago, shortly after he began pursuing an advanced degree in Fire Protection Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. "Through the course of my Fire Protection Engineering studies, I became keenly aware of how critical it is to have an adequate quantity of functioning smoke alarms installed. I also noticed that my own home was under-protected. In the process of installing new smoke alarms, I realized that the installation process was time-consuming, tedious, and dangerous - and that was with a typical ceiling height. A more significant problem surfaced when I went to install a smoke alarm on a ceiling that was out of the reach of my ladder," says McGreal.

Since using the Alarm Arm takes a fraction of time as previously needed, users can efficiently and safely install and maintain smoke alarms throughout their home or workplace, providing the ultimate in fire protection.
The Alarm Arm No Ladder Smoke AlarmTM has been designed to accept all battery-powered smoke alarms and is ideal for all buildings in need of battery-powered smoke alarms. It can be used in homes or apartment buildings with existing battery-powered alarms, as well as those in need of additional smoke alarms.

The master kit consists of a ceiling disk, alarm disk, smoke alarm, installation tool, and pole. Installing smoke alarms on even the tallest ceilings as easy as 1,2,3. 1) Attach the tool to the pole, 2) screw the ceiling disk into the ceiling with the installation tool, and 3), simply raise the alarm to the ceiling disk with the installation tool. Done!
The Alarm Arm allows users to perform smoke alarm maintenance as required by all smoke alarm manufacturers. Battery replacement takes only 30 seconds, and testing is accomplished in 10 seconds.

Older adults (those over 65 years of age) and those with mobility impairments represent population segments with the highest risks of dying in a fire. Many older adults and those with mobility impairments are incapable of installing and maintaining smoke alarms using a ladder, and as a result may have less protection than recommended by the National Fire Protection Association. Those that can use ladders face another risk: Every hour an older adult dies as a result of a fall. Additionally, falls are the leading cause of unintentional non-fatal injury for all adults 25-years and older in the United States.

The Alarm Arm allows for a quick and easy installation of smoke alarms while standing on the floor or even sitting in a wheelchair. It is anticipated that the use of the Alarm Arm will reduce the number deaths, injuries, and property loss resulting from fire, as well as reduce the number of deaths and injuries from falls.

How important is it to have functional smoke alarms? Read below:

• Fire kills more Americans than all natural disasters combined - Every 27 minutes someone is killed or injured in a home fire.
• Having one functional smoke alarm cuts your chances of dying in half.
• Roughly two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms between 2003 and 2006.
• The National Fire Protection Association recommends that smoke alarms be installed on every level of the home (including the basement), outside each sleeping area, and inside each bedroom.
• All smoke alarms, including alarms that use 10-year batteries and those that are hard-wired alarms, should be replaced when they are 10 years old according to the National Fire Protection Association.

The Alarm Arm No Ladder Smoke AlarmTM is sold in many configurations (with and without the smoke alarm, and with and without the pole). The product is compatible with all standard poles (also called painters poles). If a user has a 20 foot ceiling, a standard 16 foot pole that is available at most hardware stores will get the job done.

The founder of SafetyWise, LLC is Tim McGreal, P.E. He is a Professional Fire Protection and Mechanical Engineer, with B.S. and M.S. degrees. The company is developing additional products for use with the patented Alarm Arm technology.

For additional information about the Alarm Arm No Ladder Smoke AlarmTM, please visit http://www.AlarmArm.com or call (708) 870-3100. Volume discounts are available when purchased directly from SafetyWise LLC.

"Smoke Alarms - A Sound You Can Live With" - National Fire Prevention Week, October 3-9, 2010