The Fire Next Time
The most popular kind of smoke detector does a poor job of alerting people to slow-burning fires, reports Bob Segall of WTHR-TV 13 in Indianapolis. Segall's "Deadly Delay" series reveals that the ionization smoke detectors used in 80 percent of homes are good at detecting fast-burning fires but not as effective as photoelectric alarms at alerting occupants to deadly smoldering fires. In addition to giving examples of people who died because their ionization detectors didn't sound in time, Segall conducts a test with local firefighters to see which kind of alarm will go off first when a couch catches fire. In dramatic footage, the ionization alarm goes off 26 minutes after the photoelectric kinds and well after the room is full of thick smoke and carbon monoxide. In response to this investigation, Congress has started considering legislation that would require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to inform consumers about the differences among smoke alarms.
Segall and his team recommends that homes have both kinds of alarms and gives useful advice on how to tell the difference between them. After watching this story, I immediately checked our own smoke detectors and realized I better shop for some new ones. www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=6552929&nav=menu188_7_1