Saving More Lives With Photoelectric Smoke Detectors NEOFPA.ORG Mr. Earl Lee Warning

Do you know what TYPE of smoke detector you have? Does it Matter?

Based on industry information, what have you been told for 30 years?

Based on industry information, what have you been told for 30 years? In spite of their differences, either one of the two types of detectors is acceptable for home use.

Based on industry information, what have you been told for 30 years? In spite of their differences, either one of the two types of detectors is acceptable for home use. Find the least expensive detector that is UL Listed.

Smoke Detector History 1970 - 1st battery detector 1977 - NIST (National Institute of Standards & Technology) conducted smoke detector testing 1980’s - 75% of homes had smoke detectors 2004 - 96% of homes had smoke detectors 2008 – 96% of homes had smoke detectors, 25% of homes do not have a working smoke detector

There are two TYPES of sensors in smoke detectors: Photoelectric & Ionization

IONIZATION: PHOTOELECTRIC: Contains a small amount of radioactivity that conducts electricity. Ionization alarms are more sensitive to the tiny particles of combustion that can’t be seen or smelled, those emitted by FLAMING FIRES. Ionization alarms are MORE PRONE TO FALSE ALARMS from cooking and steam from bathrooms. PHOTOELECTRIC: Contains a beam of light and a photocell within the chamber. Photoelectric alarms are more sensitive to the large particles of combustion emitted by SMOLDERING FIRES. There are 2 types of smoke alarms, Ionization alarms use radioactive material, Photoelectric alarms use a light beam. Dual sensors combine the two technologies. Ions detect flaming fires faster, Photos detect smoldering fires faster. We will look at what this really means. But, did you know the ionization detector was originally designed to detect gases? It is good at detecting very small particles. It was first marketed as a combustion detector. It has an inherent flaw. When smoke travels away from its source it cools, the particles become larger, and the ionization has problems. The photoelectric doesn’t have this problem. It was designed to be a smoke alarm. 8

There Is A Difference!

Photoelectric smoke detectors are the detector of choice! But why? Here are two tragic examples:

Andrea Dennis, Kyle Raulin, Al Schlessman, Erin DeMarco, and Christine Wilson These five students died at Ohio State University on April 13, 2003 (Palm Sunday) Pictured are Dean and Andrea Andrea died April 13, 2003 in an off-campus housing fire at Ohio State University. She died on a Palm Sunday, at 4:00 in the morning from smoke inhalation. 11

Julie Turnbull, Kate Welling & Steve Smith died in this house on April 10th, 2005 (Palm Sunday) at Miami University Pictured are Doug and Julie. Julie died April 10, 2005 in an off-campus housing fire at Miami University. She died on a Palm Sunday, at 4:00 in the morning from smoke inhalation. 12

There were more than 20 WORKING ionization smoke detectors in these two fires... And 8 students died!

There have been several large studies conducted over the years that have shown that photoelectric technology is superior.

The Studies IAFC study-1980 Texas A & M-2 1/2 year study: 1990’s NIST sponsored private industry study-2001 NIST study-2008

The Results They were consistent… Ionization alarms sounded tens of seconds faster than photoelectric alarms in flaming fires. Photoelectric alarms sounded tens of MINUTES faster in smoldering fires. Ionization smoke detectors failed to sound at all 20% of the time in smoldering fires!

Some Fire Service Leader Quotes “If everybody in the country would install these (photoelectric smoke alarms) we would probably save about a thousand lives a year.” AFM Gordon Simpkinson Palo Alto Fire Department Palo Alto, California, USA October, 2010 “How many lives have been lost because the public has not been told the truth?” Chief Jay Fleming Boston Fire Department Boston, MA October, 2006

PR Campaign Chief Marc McGinn Albany Fire Department Albany, California, USA July, 2010

NEOFPA & Earl Lee Warning’s Recommendations At a minimum, install a Photoelectric smoke detector on each level of your home, one outside each sleeping area and one inside each bedroom. Consider interconnected photoelectric detectors, either wired or wireless. When one smoke detector activates, all detectors in your home will sound! We will not recommend the placing of ionization smoke detectors in any location. If a resident has ionization smoke detectors

What about a combination detector that has both photoelectric & ionization sensors?

These are not recommended due to the ionization sensor that will still produce nuisance false alarms. This causes users to remove the batteries rendering the detector useless!

What if you have ionization detectors? We recommend that you install a photoelectric detector in each recommended location in your home. Maintain your existing ionization smoke detectors until you replace them. You may choose to install ionization detectors in addition to photoelectric detectors in each recommended location in your home. Smoke detectors need to be replaced when malfunctioning or have reached 10 years of age. Many residents may need to replace their detectors anyway!

How do you tell what sensor you have?

A sobering statistic: Currently, 90% of homes in the US are equipped with Ionization smoke detectors only… Is yours?

By the way…What types of alarms are being used to protect the most vulnerable citizens?

Photoelectric smoke detectors are the only type being utilized in all commercial buildings including hospitals, nursing homes, schools, day cares & apartments!

Shouldn’t we include our own homes?

To Review: Photoelectric Smoke Detectors: Alert tens of minutes faster (Resulting in more escape time, less deaths, injuries & property damage) Less nuisance false alarms (Resulting in less disabled detectors from disconnecting the batteries)

What’s the price? Photoelectric-$12 Ionization-$8

NEOFPA & Earl’s Goal:

For more information on installing & maintaining photoelectric smoke detectors: NEOFPA.org PhotoelectricSaves.com