subject: Your Smoke Detectors Will Probably Not Work In Time! [print this page] I know that is not a very popular stanceI know that is not a very popular stance. Many officials say that type of comment is what makes people not trust their smoke detectors and may discourage them from installing them in their home. In the opinion of this author, that is very small thinking and really assumes that the average consumer is not capable of making the right decision when given the facts about home safety and home security.
Yes, it takes more time to give someone all the facts, but for the past 25 years, I have been teaching the whole story about what happens in a home fire and how the different types of detectors work, or don't work, and I have found that without question, most families make the right decision and go for quality and more complete protection and security for their family. In fact, some misinformed officials telling people that all smoke detectors are equal and will work just fine is probably the reason that more people don't have quality.
"But My Detectors Go Off When Cooking And I Don't Even See Smoke Yet, So They Must Be Working"
Just because your smoke detectors go off when cooking, does not necessarily mean they will work in a real fire situation. If you have this happening, you likely have the ionization type of detector...almost everyone does, since they are cheap and easy to find. To explain it in simple terms, the ionization technology is designed to sense a change in ions in the air instead of actually "seeing" the smoke like the optical technology can do. This means that anything that changes the ions will set them off, such as cooking odors, dust or humidity.
In reality, what happens in a real fire is nowhere near like cooking odors. Numerous recent studies have proven that most smoldering fires do not change the ions until air movement is introduced and often the fire has progressed to a dangerous state by then. So, even though they may go off, it is often too late to escape safely.
Recent statistics from the US Fire Administration estimate that in 30%-50% of deadly fires, the detector had batteries or electricity, but still did not go off in time. In addition, when we have numerous false alarms, we are more likely to remove the batteries or unhook the detector...and we all know what happens then. Also, according to the owner's manual for that type of detector and the NFPA, you should not have a smoke detector in or within 20 feet of your kitchen; a heat detector is recommended for that area.
Need Proof...Here It Is
After a fatal fire in Boston, Deputy Chief Jay Fleming, who has studied this problem for many years, was quoted as saying, "On average, 50% of everyone who dies in Massachusetts, dies when smoke detectors operate, and most of those fires are smoldering". WBZ Boston conducted some tests with Fleming and afterwards Fleming said, "The ionization smoke detector was not going off until the smoke was so thick it was too late to get out of the house". He also added, "I think it is (ionization smoke detectors) responsible for 10,000 deaths since 1990".
In a peer-reviewed, 3-year study conducted by Dr. Larry Grosse at Texas A&M University, it was concluded that the chances of dying in a smoldering fire while in a home protected with the ionization type smoke detectors was 55.8%. That is right; you have more chance of dying than living through the fire. I bet that is not what you expected when you bought your smoke alarms, was it?
The fact is that in every recent study and in analyzing recent real-life statistics, there is ample proof to suggest that instead of saying, "Well, just go to your discount store and by a few cheap detectors and they will probably work", is not accurate. In reality, accurate thinking suggests that these types of alarms probably will not work!
Only when we face this tough fact can we begin to learn what can be done to increase our chances of escape...and it is well worth seeking out the information needed to completely and properly protect your family from fire.
