SMOKE ALARMS
No Longer A Nuisance
Smoke Alarms
BY : ERIC P . WOKAS , CSP ARM SENIOR RISK ENGINEER JGS INSURANCE , A BALDWIN RISK PARTNER
You have heard this over and over for years : have working smoke alarms in your home . Yeah , almost everyone has a smoke alarm , but are they actually working ? Apparently not . Almost 3 out of 5 home-fire-related deaths in the United States occur in houses without a working smoke alarm .
In 2020 , the US Fire Administration estimated 372,000 residential building fires caused :
• 2,615 deaths ,
• 11,825 injuries , and
• $ 8,604,400,000 in monetary losses .
Having an installed and properly functioning smoke alarm would have reduced the chance of residential
BY fire deaths
ERIC by
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50 %. Apart from simply not having smoke alarms installed , a major reason a home doesn ’ t have a working smoke alarm is that it has been deactivated .
When faced with a chirping lowbattery warning or annoyed by a false alarm , people often take a smoke alarm down , throw it in a drawer , or remove the batteries and never replace them . According to Consumer Reports , almost one-third of Americans said they have disabled a smoke alarm at least once . In addition , the National Fire Protection Association ( NFPA ) says nuisance alarms ( due to cooking or steam ) are the leading reason for home owners to disconnect or turn off their smoke alarms . While newer , 10-year , lithium battery-powered smoke alarms have alleviated the dead battery issue , they do not address the nuisance alarms .
For these reasons , Underwriters Laboratory ( UL ) Standards & Engagement — a standards certifying organization — has changed its smoke alarm standards ( UL 217 ) with several updates designed to make those nuisance alarms less common . According to Steve Kerber at the Fire Safety Research Institute , “ This is the most radical change since smoke alarms were invented .”
But nuisance alarms are not the only reason that smoke alarm standards required major updates . Fire industry experts found fire dynamics within the modern-day home have changed over the last several decades as well .
ACCORDING TO UL , THE USE OF NEWER SYNTHETIC MATERIALS , MORE OPEN LAYOUTS AND LIGHTER CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS HAVE CAUSED HOME FIRES TO BURN HOTTER AND FASTER .
Most furnishings in the past were of natural materials which takes longer times to burn than the now more prevalent synthetic materials of today . This has caused escape times to drop from an average of 17 minutes to 3 minutes .
The new UL standard update went into effect June 30 , 2022 , for all manufacturers of smoke alarms and combination smoke-and-carbon-monoxide alarms . The new alarms will have finely tuned sensors that can detect both flaming and smoldering fires while avoiding nuisance alarms . They will give extra leeway if they detect smoke from a burger but are more sensitive to other fires such as a synthetic couch smoldering .
Note the UL 217 ( 8th edition ) effective date does not trigger an automatic replacement of all smoke alarm devices . Only those devices manufactured after this date must be compliant with the new standard edition to receive the UL Listing . It is important to note that devices already manufactured prior to the effective date can still be sold with the UL listing received when manufactured . Many manufacturers have already begun selling the new edition compliant devices and have information on their websites . Some manufacturers have included “ helps reduce cooking nuisance alarms ” on the package label .
Smoke alarms should be placed on every level of your home , including the basement . They should be in hallways , especially outside bedrooms , and there should be an alarm in each bedroom — especially for people who sleep with their doors closed . Smoke alarms should be changed every 10 years , including the new UL 217-compliant alarms . The Consumer Report ’ s survey found that 53 % of respondents could not recall the last time they changed their alarm . Can you ? +
Eric P . Wokas has over 25 years of experience as a risk management consultant working for various major property / casualty insurance carriers including Continental , Zurich and Gerling as well as Aon an international insurance brokerage firm . At JGS Insurance Eric Wokas continues to assist clients in development and implementation of practical solutions in reducing risk .
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