Get A New Smoke Detector
Get A New Smoke Detector
Get a New Smoke Detector, Not just Batteries!
In 1980 the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) warned that ionization smoke alarms were not safe and that they had no other choice but to recommend photoelectric smoke alarms. They also warned that combination ioniz
For years now we have heard that it is good to change your smoke detector batteries when you change your clocks for daylight savings time. The truth is that since 1980 there has been a need to replace the type of smoke detectors that are in 95 percent of American homes. “They just don’t do the job well enough”. Says Adrian Bell at the World Fire Safety Foundation. “At least 1500 lives are lost in smoldering fires a year. For thirty years the truth about ionization smoke alarms/detectors has been kept from the public and fire fighters around the world”. Says Bell.ation-photoelectric smoke alarms were not the solution. The IAFC said that adding an ionization sensor to a perfectly capable photoelectric smoke alarm increased cost and introduced the unacceptable false alarm problem inherent in ionization technology. After three decades of consumers disconnecting their ionization smoke alarms, the I.A.F.C. Smoke alarm report has been
proven to be absolutely 100% correct. It is now the law in Vermont and Massachusetts as well as Palo Alto and Albany California. Click here for video, it is disturbing. “To date Sonoma County has not approached the subject, we really need to see smoke detectors properly installed in every home to avoid false alarms and the removal of batteries. The placement of either type of detector is crucial’. Says Steve Adams, Healdsburg Fire Chief
An ionization alarm contains a tiny amount of radioactive material to set up an ionization chamber that creates an electric current. When the current is disturbed by smoke, the alarm sounds. It costs about $10. A photoelectric alarm, in contrast, contains a small beam of light. When smoke disturbs that beam, the alarm sounds. It costs about $15.
The difference has to do with how smoke from different fires moves through the air and what is in that smoke.
For example, an overcooked dinner may produce small particles of smoke that waft through the air. The ionization alarm is sensitive to those tiny flecks, prompting false alarms. The photoelectric alarm can tell better when there isn’t enough smoke to be a dangerous fire. On the other end of the spectrum is the smoldering fire, which produces bigger particles. Those aren’t as easily detected by the ionization alarm until the smolder becomes flames that produce the smaller particles.
Virtually all residential homes with smoke alarms have the ionization type, and virtually all commercial buildings have the photoelectric types, according to several studies.
” Because ionization detectors are more sensitive, they are very prone to false alarms which results in the occupant removing the batteries resulting in the loss of any early warning capabilities”. Says Randy Collins, retired Healdsburg Fire Chief.
“We all know smoke detectors save lives but they have to be working”. Says Collins.
“There is heavy lobbying by the main manufacturer of the ion type of smoke detector to suppress this information. They have a five year contract to continue the production of ionization smoke alarms.”, Says Marc McGinn, Fire Chief of the Albany, CA fire department. “95% of the homes in America have the ionization type smoke alarm. They are less expensive to produce and dangerous in a smoldering fire.” Says Chief McGinn.
“The two main manufacturers of these alarms have had quite different positions on this information. First Alert supports these findings while Kidde has taken the extra step of showing up at our public awareness events to speak out against us” says Chief McGinn.
“The fatalities are not the only problems that we see, says Lieutenant Jim Boito, Paramedic supervisor for Albany. “For every death there are five disfigured individuals from fire and that does not take into account the ripple effect to their families during these tragedies. Says Boito.