Retail smoke detectors do NOT work the way you think, and can leave your family at risk. I realize that in-depth studies can get very long (and very boring) to read and can still sometimes leave you wondering what you just read. In this article, I will attempt to cut a 3-year, several hundred page study down to a few paragraphs of information that your family can really use.

This study, titled “Full Scale Research and Testing of Fire Detection Systems in a Residential Structure conducted at Texas A&M University” was done in the mid ’90s and to this day is the only study I am aware of that was complete (taking all factors into consideration) and went through a peer-review process. (That means all the experts in the field think it is really good…and accurate!)

What makes this study unique is the fact that it used real information about the likelihood that our detector would work properly, factoring real-life scenarios that we all must deal with, such as failure because of lack of maintenance, improper location, lack of power source, lack of quality in the manufacturing process, etc. Then, they used this information, along with hundreds of live fire tests using real-life variables, such as windows and doors open or shut, ceiling fans on or off, and heat or AC on or off. They then used mathematical formulas to determine the chance of the “top event” happening. In this study, they chose the top event as death.

All that to say this: the results of this study gives you the chances of a person dying in a fire due to the failure of different detectors in both types (flaming and smoldering) of fires. This is where it gets interesting and I think this is something everyone should know before they decide on what type of protection they want for their family.

What the results below show in a nutshell is this…the common detectors that most people have in their homes WILL NOT work the way you think they will and also that the quality used in the manufacturing process and the type of technology used make HUGE differences.

% Chances of Death

That’s right…what you are seeing is that if you only have the ionization type smoke alarms in your home (and over 95% of people do), and you have a smoldering ignition fire (and most fires are), you have a 55.8% chance you will die. Unfortunately this is more than a just a test. Today, factual statistics back this up very closely.

So, How Do You Know What To Do?

Actually, that is fairly simple from this point. First, a few quick points…we know we could have either type of fire, so it makes sense to have protection from both types of fires. Add to that the fact that in order to have time to escape from today’s fast, deadly fires, we must know about the fire as soon as it starts. That means we need to have detection in every room and since you can’t put smoke detectors in many areas of the home, you need both types of alarms.

Now, look at the above chart and see for yourself which type of alarm is best for which type of fire. For a smoldering fire, that would be a smoke detector that utilizes photoelectric technology, with only a 4% chance of death. For a flaming fire, that is a fusible link heat detector with almost no chance of death. (1 x 10 % is about 1 in a million chance)

So, What Does That Mean I Should Do?

Photoelectric smoke detectors, while hard to find are worth looking for. Don’t be fooled into buying a combination unit, as that will not give you more protection for many reasons that can’t be covered in this short article. There are also huge differences in the photoelectric alarms; there are cheap ones that have a few features and there are more costly ones that have lots of life-saving and money-saving features. Like with most things, there are reasons things cost more, and in the long run almost always cost less when it comes to fire protection. Remember, we are talking about life and death here, so saving money is nice, but also not what is most important. You won’t care how cheap your detector was if it doesn’t work when you need it.

As for the fusible link heat detectors, that could either be a self-powered unit, which is most affordable for existing homes, or it could be a sprinkler system, which should be at least considered if you are building a new home. Again, both are hard to find, but worth looking for. This is why I have always believed that when you are talking about real fire protection, you need to involve professionals.

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