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Smoke Alarms Reduce Fire Deaths

by Al Heavens

If you haven’t done so recently, change the batteries in your smoke detectors as soon as humanly possible. This chore is typically done the last Sunday in October, when most states return to standard time. But we do forget, and people in Arizona and Indiana never get that chance anyway.

Most states and municipalities require homeowners to install smoke alarms. The majority of states require smoke detectors be placed on each floor of a house – including the basement – before the sale of that house can go to settlement.

Although the National Fire Prevention Association bangs the safety drum every autumn, too many of us pay little attention to the shape our smoke alarms are in. People even remove the batteries from faulty alarms when the toaster or shower steam sets them off, or complain that when the alarms do sound, they are too loud.

Nuisance activations can be addressed by moving an alarm farther from kitchen smoke or bathroom steam and by more frequent cleaning. If the problem persists, replace the alarm.

Eighty-five percent of fire deaths occur in the home (one- or two-family dwellings or apartments), according to the Fire Prevention Association.

Here are some other statistics:

In 2000, there were 368,000 home fires in the United States, resulting in 3,420 deaths, 16,975 injuries, and $5.5 billion in direct property damage.

States with the highest fire death rates in 1999 were Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, South Carolina and West Virginia. Those with the lowest rates were New Hampshire, Hawaii, Utah, Colorado and California. But every state had a lower fire death rate in 1999 than it did in 1980.

The differences among the state are explained chiefly by the characteristics of the population, the association said. The highest death rates occur in states with a high proportion of adults lacking high school educations, who are poor and who smoke.

Home-fire deaths have fallen 34 percent over 20 years, from 5,200 in 1980 to 3,420 in 2000.

Half of all home-fire deaths resulted from blazes that were reported between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., yet only one-fourth of the home fires occurred during these hours.

January was the peak month for home-fire deaths. February ranked second; December, third.

Smoking was the leading cause of home-fire deaths overall, but in December, January and February, smoking and heating equipment caused similar shares of fire deaths. Cooking was the leading cause of home fires and home-fire injuries year-round.

Although children 5 and under make up about 9 percent of the population, they accounted for 17 percent of the home-fire deaths.

Adults 65 and older also face a risk twice the average, while people 85 and older have a risk that is almost 4 1/2 times more than average.

Only one-fifth of the home-fire deaths from 1989 to 1998 were caused by fires in which smoke alarms were present and operated.

It is probably safe to assume that the drop in the number of fatalities is the direct result of smoke alarms. So it makes perfect sense to get up on the stepladder and change the batteries. Although smoke alarms alert people to fires, families still need to develop and practice home fire-escape plans so that they can get out quickly, according to the Fire Prevention Association.

Install at least one smoke alarm on every floor of your home (including the basement) and outside each sleeping area. If you sleep with the door closed, install smoke alarms inside the room. In new homes, smoke alarms are required in all sleeping rooms, according to the National Fire Alarm Code.

Because smoke rises, alarms should be mounted high on walls or ceilings. Wall-mounted alarms should be positioned four to 12 inches from the ceiling. Ceiling-mounted alarms should be positioned four inches or more away from the nearest wall.

Smoke alarms should not be installed near a window, door, or forced-air register, where drafts could interfere with their operation. The Fire Prevention Association recommends that people with hearing impairments install smoke alarms with louder alarm signals and/or strobe lights to alert them. For a list of manufacturers that distribute smoke alarms for the hearing-impaired, call the Center for High-Risk Outreach at 1-617-984-7826.

Be sure that the smoke alarm you buy carries the label of an independent testing lab. And test smoke alarms at least once a month by pressing the manufacturer's test button or with an approved smoke substitute, and clean the units in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.

Install new batteries in all smoke alarms at least once a year. Replace the alarms every 10 years.

Published: November 14, 2002

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

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Al Heavens writes about real estate and home repair and improvement. He is the author of What No One Ever Tells You About Renovating Your Home: Real-Life Advice For Hassle-free, Cost-Effective Remodeling.

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