Community Corner
Is Your Smoke Alarm Affected by New Maryland Law?
A bevy of new rules apply to smoke detectors in residential buildings in Maryland.
The days of just having any old smoke detector are long gone for residential buildings in Maryland. An amendment to the 38-year-old Maryland Smoke Alarm Law went into effect July 1 and requires more advanced alarms in homes.
Alarms must now have long-life batteries sealed inside, in addition to regular batteries, according to a release from Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service. “Hush” buttons are also a requisite for alarms now.
“The technological advances of battery-operated residential smoke alarms combined with 10-year, long-life batteries offer a decade of protection,” Montgomery County Fire Chief Steve Lohr said in a statement.
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“Smoke alarms are one of the most important safety features to have in your home and while residents will have until January 1, 2018 to comply with the new law, we’re urging residents to upgrade their alarms now.”
Read more about the new law on the Maryland General Assembly website.
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Will you have to switch smoke alarms because of the new law?
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