Smoke and fire alarms alerted occupants and the Kearny Fire Department to the Nov. 7 Kearny Avenue blaze, but the alarm systems in other buildings may require post-hurricane servicing, KFD Chief Steve Dyl has warned.
Electric alarm systems found in multi-family homes, apartment buildings and larger businesses usually have battery-operated backup systems that will work in the event of a power outage, Dyl said. However, those battery backups are designed to last for, at best, two days.
If your power is out longer than that, they are likely to become inoperative — and Hurricane Sandy left many in the dark for more than two days.
Dyl said the batteries will need recharging or replacement. He urged anyone with such a system to have it checked and serviced by a certified alarm specialist. We don’t want people thinking everything is okay when it isn’t,” he said.
– Karen Zautyk
