Smoke Alarms are Enough: Are they?

An NFPA report titled U.S Home Structure Fires, by Marty Ahrens, published in January 2009 concludes that 63% of reported fire deaths from 2003-2006 resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarm or no working smoke alarms. Residential fire sprinkler opponents are certain that this proves their case that smoke alarms are enough to eliminate the fire problem in North America. What they won't tell you is that the other 37% of people who died in homes, did so in homes equipped with smoke alarms, both battery operated and hardwired.

Persons dying in these fires were more likely to have been in the area of origin, were trying to fight the fire themselves, or were at least 65 years old. Children under 5 and older adults face the highest risk of home fire death. Alcohol or other drugs, disabilities, and age-related limitations are all factors contributing to risk. Persons in these high risk groups are specially likely to have difficulty espacing a fire. What about these lives? Maybe this question should be posed to the families of the victims. Not one more needless death should be the mantra that drives this policy decision. 

NFPA analyses have concluded that there are tremendous benefits achieved by sprinklers on top of the benefits already achieved by smoke alarms. According to the U.S. Experience with Sprinklers and Other Automatic Fire Extinguishing Equipment report, by John R. Hall, Jr, a home fire sprinkler system provides an 80% reduction in the fire death rate, a considerable reduction in addition to the large reduction provided by smoke alarms.

Average response times have increased over the years as fire departments struggle to keep up with growth. In areas protected by volunteer fire departments this problem is exacerbated. It is the reason why communities such as Pleasantview, TN, relying on a volunteer fire department, have been equipping homes with fire sprinkler systems very successfully as a community risk reduction policy for many years. Chief Shane Ray of the Pleasantview Fire Department recognized the importance of the added benefits of residential fire sprinkler systems in protecting his community.

While a person had approximately 17 minutes to escape a home fire before flashover in the 1970's, today that time is reduced to approximately 3 minutes. Long before the first fire suppression unit applies water to the fire, the atmostphere has most probably become untenable, and the chances of survivavility have significantly decreased. The emphasis here again is that the previously mentioned high risk groups may have difficulty using the escape time provided by smoke alarms. Residential fire sprinkler systems are designed to provide a 10 minute escape time, a very important consideration for them.

Smoke alarms are an important component in a home's fire protection system. They have worked well and have saved thousands of lives. NFPA will continue its public education efforts to make sure that smoke alarms are installed and properly maintained in new and existing properties. "Sprinklers (as the single most important engineering technique) will save thousands more lives and billions of dollars in property." (John Hall, Jr. PhD).

Maria Figueroa

 

Comments

[Laurie Loveman]

I'd like to bring up another point about why smoke alarms should not be relied upon, even if they are working: if they do not awaken a person quickly enough (if at all) to enable them to rescue children from bedrooms or escape themselves, toxic gases will quickly kill them. We have this problem with barn fires in which the animals are overcome within minutes if there is no one in the barn to begin evacuation when an alarm is activated. If the adults in a home are in the backyard, for example, with music playing, they may not hear a smoke alarm going off inside their home so may not even realize there is a fire in the house that is giving off toxic gases that will kill a child in a crib or a physically disabled adult before any action is taken. I stress the importance of sprinkler systems for barns because there is often less liklihood of someone being in the barn at the time of a fire and the most technologically advanced alerting systems are useless if no one is there to take immediate action. Only sprinkler systems can react fast enough to save lives, and this must be stressed over and over.

[e cigarette]

No they are not. Smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and a family safety plan is the most improtant step. I have been there. It is not fun.

[E Cig]

They certainly are not. My friend's house burned down because they could barely hear it.

Your girl Mary.