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The Longmont Fire Department cares about your safety. Free smoke detectors are given to parents of newborns, senior citizens, and people who cannot afford them. For more information, please call (303) 651-8437.
Smoke detectors aren't new.
The technology has been around since the 1960's. The single-station, battery-powered smoke detector, similar to the one we know today, became available to consumers in the 1940's. NFPA estimates that 93% of U.S. homes have at least one smoke detector. They save so many lives that most states have laws requiring them in residential dwellings. So, why is all the attention being paid to smoke detectors?
Still a Major Problem
Although 13 of every 14 homes have at least one smoke detector, almost half of home fires and three-fifths of fire deaths occur in the homes with no detectors. Thousands of people still die each year in home fires where smoke detectors aren't present.
In addition, there are now more homes with smoke detectors that don't work than homes without detectors at all. These poorly maintained units create a false sense of security among occupants, and hundreds of people die each year in these fires.
Tragically, the grave importance of installing and maintaining smoke detectors has not yet been fully realized. Most people who die in home fires are not in the room where the fire starts; working smoke detectors alert people to fire and give them time to escape in a situation where minutes can mean the difference between life and death.
Working Smoke Detectors Save Lives
Having a smoke detector cuts your chance of dying nearly in half if you have a home fire. By properly placing, regularly testing and maintaining your detectors, you can ensure that they are in fact working and will alert you if a fire breaks out. Make sure you buy only those detectors that bear the mark of an independent testing laboratory. Some detectors operate using an "ionization" sensor while others use a "photoelectric" sensor. An ionization detector uses an extremely small quantity of radioactive material to make the air in the detector chamber conduct electricity. Smoke from a fire interferes with the electrical current and triggers the alarm. A photoelectric detector uses a tiny light source shining on a light sensitive sensor. The alarm is triggered when smoke from a fire interferes with the light. All tested and labeled smoke detector offers adequate protection if it is properly installed and maintained.
No Substitute for Smoke Detectors
Fire protection in the home must start with smoke detectors. There are many other kinds of detectors which may be designed to detect such factors as high temperatures, rapid changes in temperature, and certain gases produced in fires. However, these detectors are not as effective as smoke detectors in giving the first warning when a fire breaks out. NFPA does not require heat detectors in giving the first warning when a fire breaks out. NFPA does not require heat detectors in homes, however, they may be used for optional extra protection in areas like kitchens, attics, and garages, where smoke detectors are susceptible to nuisance alarms.
Tests performed on the speed of warning given by smoke detectors and heat detectors for many types of typical home fires showed smoke detectors consistently give first warning--often by enough of a margin to make a major difference in your chances of escaping alive. Smoke and deadly gas spread farther and faster than heat.
Contrary to popular belief, the smell of smoke may not wake a sleeping person. Instead, the poisonous gases and smoke produced by a fire can numb the senses and put one into a deeper sleep.
PLEASE BE SAFE AND USE SMOKE DETECTORS!