By Susan McKelvey
According to the latest “Smoke Alarms in the U.S.” report from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), working smoke alarms reduce the risk of dying in a home fire by more than 60%, while the majority of civilian home fire deaths continues to occur in homes with no smoke alarms or no working alarms. These statistics – coupled with newly released findings from a comprehensive U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) survey – reinforce the critical importance of Fire Prevention Week, Oct. 6-12, and this year’s theme, “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!”
For more than 100 years, Fire Prevention Week – the longest-running U.S. public health observance on record – has worked to educate people about the risk of home fires and ways to minimize them. Local fire departments, schools and community organizations play a key role in bringing Fire Prevention Week to life in their communities each year and spreading basic but critical fire safety messages.
“Smoke alarms can make a life-saving difference in a home fire, but they have to be working in order to protect people,” says Lorraine Carli, vice president of Outreach and Advocacy at NFPA. “This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign drives home just how important it is to install, test and maintain smoke alarms to ensure they’re working properly.”
Alarming stats
A newly published survey by CPSC, which was conducted in coordination with the Fire Protection Research Foundation (the research affiliate of NFPA) and the National Institute for Safety and Technology (NIST), assesses the prevalence, functionality and public perception of smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms in U.S. households. According to the findings, nearly all U.S. households (99%) report having at least one smoke alarm, which reflects a significant increase from 88% in 1994. However, 61% of household test their smoke alarms less frequently than recommended (at least once a month), and 33% say they never test their smoke alarms.
In addition, the survey showed that many households have inaccurate perceptions about the age, functionality and maintenance requirements of their smoke alarms. The survey results show that 16% of households believed all alarms would be working but had at least one functionality issue when tested, including dead batteries. Additionally, only 51% of households were always accurate about the age of their alarms.
“People tend to be overconfident about their risk to fire, which often leads to a sense of complacency that compromises safety,” Carli explains. “This year’s Fire Prevention Week campaign works to better educate people about their true risk to fire and the steps needed to make sure they’re adequately protected in the event of one.”
Essential messaging
Key fire safety messages for this year’s Fire Prevention Week theme, “Smoke alarms: Make them work for you!” include the following:
- Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each separate sleeping area (like a hallway) and on each level (including the basement) of the home.
- Make sure smoke alarms meet the needs of all family members, including those with sensory or physical disabilities.
- Test smoke alarms at least once a month by pushing the test button.
- Replace all smoke alarms when they are 10 years old or don’t respond when tested.
Because we know that people are more inclined to remove smoke alarm batteries or dismantle alarms altogether when they sound unexpectedly due to steam from a cooking, for example, and/or continue to chirp, it’s critical that we keep working to better educate the public about the steps they can take to address these issues so that smoke alarms remain intact and in working order.
Fire departments should share the following messages with their communities:
- Smoke alarms should not be installed in kitchens or bathrooms.
- A single chirp every 30 or 60 seconds means the battery is low and must be changed.
- Smoke alarms may need to be replaced sooner if they show signs of malfunction, including smoke alarm chirps that continue to occur after changing the batteries and clearing the smoke alarm to ensure that it’s free of dust, etc.
For a wealth of information and guidance on troubleshooting smoke alarm issues, I encourage you to review “Smoke Alarm Troubleshooting,” a thorough blog written by Shawn Mahoney, an engineer at NFPA.
In addition, follow these guidelines for answering community members’ questions about what type of smoke alarm they should buy:
- Choose an alarm that is listed with a nationally recognized testing laboratory, meaning it has met certain standards for protection. Whether you select a unit that requires yearly changing of batteries or a 10-year unit that you change out at the end of the 10 years, either will provide protection.
- There are many brands of smoke alarms, but they fall under two basic types: ionization and photoelectric. Ionization alarms are more responsive to flaming fires, and photoelectric alarms are more responsive to smoldering fires. Photoelectric smoke alarms are the best type of alarms to be installed near the kitchen and bathrooms to reduce nuisance alarms.
- For the best protection, use combination smoke alarms that are interconnected throughout the home. These can be installed by a qualified electrician, so that when one sounds, they all sound. This ensures that you can hear the alarm no matter where in your home the alarm originates.
Learn more
To learn more about Fire Prevention Week and this year’s theme, “Smoke alarms: Make them work or you!” visit fpw.org. Additional Fire Prevention Week resources for children, caregivers and educators can be found at sparky.org and sparkyschoolhouse.org.
Listen to The NFPA Podcast, which takes a deeper dive into the CPSC survey findings and the state of smoke alarms in today’s homes.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Susan McKelvey is the communications manager for the NFPA, a global nonprofit organization devoted to eliminating death, injury, property and economic loss due to fire, electrical and related hazards. NFPA is the official sponsor of Fire Prevention Week.