Smoke alarms are a critical life safety device and your primary warning system for a fire that may occur in your home or where you are staying. Usually, there is a push twice a year (that coincide with daylight saving time changes) to bring attention to their importance, but there are also some recent calls that make it just as important.
Often, when discussing smoke detectors and their importance, national statistics are used, which provide clear evidence on their importance. We could cite a National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) report findings from a five-year study on structure fires in the U.S. It found that the death rate from structure fires was 55% lower in homes with working smoke detectors than in homes that did not have functioning alarms (13 deaths per 1,000 fires when no working alarm was present compared to 5.8 deaths per 1,000 fires when a functional alarm was present).
What this study does not take into account is the effect on property damage from a working smoke alarm system. Fires are far less fatal with early detection, early alerting and early extinguishment (by the occupant or firefighters), and also can be considerably less damaging to property. Smoke alarms are not only critical to your safety, but they can help aid in protecting your home and valuables, as well.
If we as firefighters were able to share a “secret” with you, one that could provide you and your family a better than 2:1 advantage on surviving a fire in your home, would you be interested?
Here it is, make sure you have working smoke detectors in your home.
NFPA standard 72 covers smoke detector placement requirements for your home. It requires that detectors be placed on each floor of your home, including the basement. It also directs that detectors be installed in each bedroom and outside each sleeping area.
While national data and codes clearly identify the need, we may think that fires happen to other people, and not to us. This is one reason that when teaching fire safety classes to a public audience, it is important to discuss local examples that drive the need home.
A few examples follow, which occurred in Damariscotta. However, each fire company in Lincoln County has many examples of their own which all support the same conclusion, smoke detectors save lives.
Very recently, a couple was home in their living room when smoke detectors alerted them to an issue. They found flames approximately 5 feet in height coming from the furnace area in the hallway. The owners took immediate steps to call 9-1-1 to report the fire and used a small home fire extinguisher to knock down the flames. While the furnace was taken out of service, the fire was contained to the equipment with no structural damage. Without a working alarm, this fire would have spread beyond the owner’s ability to extinguish within moments.
At another incident, an owner left a propane range on to dry out a cast iron pan, forgot about it, and went to bed. An alarm alerted her and she woke to find the house filling with smoke. She was able to get out and call in the emergency. When units arrived, a nearby plastic object had melted from the heat and had just caught fire. It was extinguished with no damage to the home, only due to the prompt alert of a smoke alarm.
A final example is a comparison of three different situations that spanned a few years at the same housing complex. In all cases, a smoke alarm activated to signal an actual fire. The first was a lady who fell asleep in bed while smoking, the mattress started to burn next to her, but she did not wake up, even as a smoke detector sounded. A neighbor called in the alarm, and the woman was rescued from the smoke-filled apartment by first responders.
Another time, someone was sanitizing infant feeding equipment and ran out to an appointment, accidentally leaving the range on. As the materials caught fire, a smoke alarm sounded and was called in by the neighbor. When responders arrived, the fire was just starting to spread to the kitchen cabinets, but was quickly extinguished.
In a third incident, smoke alarms were going off in an apartment, and were heard by a first responder in the area. Upon investigation, smoke was coming out of the eaves of the apartment, with the resident still inside. The resident was rescued from the apartment by the first responders, and the cooking fire was quickly extinguished.
No neighbors called in the alarm, citing they were minding their own business. It is easy to take this approach, but as the two previous examples show, neighbors watching out for their fellow neighbors can often make a positive difference in the outcome. Fortunately, this responder happened to be in the area, heard the sound and thought to investigate.
Smoke alarms can be a nuisance at times, perhaps when it alerts everyone to know that dinner is ready. But these small devices save lives EVERY day. So please, don’t tempt fate, don’t gamble you or your family’s lives. Make sure you have detectors installed consistent with NFPA guidelines, and make sure they are functioning properly. Test them monthly, change the batteries every six months (remember the time change message?) and replace detectors every 10 years.
Especially for families with small children, a working smoke alarm is only one step towards an effective fire safety plan. You must also have an escape plan that everyone knows and practices. This subject will be covered in a future message.
Be safe out there.
John Roberts,
Fire chief, Damariscotta
Massasoit Engine Co.
