The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Check smoke detectors earlier
Experts say photoelectric better than more common type
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire – but not every fire is the same, and neither is every smoke detector, according to fire safety officials.
Fire Prevention Week runs Oct. 8-14, in fire safety month.
When daylight saving time ends, firefighters remind the public to check the batteries in the smoke detectors of homes, and get smoke detectors if needed.
In the last few years, firefighters have drawn attention to a distinction between two types of smoke detectors, which are known as photoelectric and ionization detectors, said Avon Lake Fire Department Assistant Chief Jeffery K. Moore.
The difference is important and can be critical in the case of fire and smoke, Moore said.
Photoelectric smoke detectors respond faster to smoldering fires that cause the most injuries and deaths in residences, according to the North Eastern Ohio Fire Prevention Association.
Ionization smoke detectors tend to respond faster to fires with large flames. They also are more prone to false alarms due to cooking or too much steam from a shower.
In May 2014, a GMA television news crew visited Ohio for an investigation about the difference between the two types of smoke detectors.
Firefighters still refer to that video for its illustration about how smoke detectors work.
The 2014 news report included an estimate that 90 percent of homes have only ionization smoke alarms.
Two years later, the Ohio Fire Prevention Association published a position paper recommending “that all homes be protected with residential smoke alarms utilizing photoelectric technology.”
Contemporary smoke detectors should be marked with “P” or the word “photoelectric,” or “I” or “ionization,” on the alarm, its packaging, or on both.
It is possible to get both types of alarms in one unit.
“I personally have dual sensors in my house,” Moore said.
For additional fire safety at night, sleep with bedroom doors closed, he said.
If there is a fire, the closed door will keep out smoke longer than an open door, Moore said.
Even a standard interior door in a home may offer up to 30 to 40 minutes of protection before flames penetrate it, he said.
But, have a family member test the smoke alarm to ensure it is audible when the door is closed, Moore said.
In a fire, smoke alarms may sound but they do no good if residents cannot hear them.
The photoelectric alarms now are made with sealed batteries that last up to 10 years.
Ionization alarms are better than no detectors, but they will not work if the batteries are dead or not installed.
“The most common thing we see is a smoke detector with no batteries,” Moore said.
In any community, if residents have a fire situation at home that makes them feel unsafe, get out of the house and call the fire department, he said.
That applies for situations that may seem silly or minor.
Firefighters understand honest mistakes, Moore said, giving an example of a person who reported a house fire that turned out to be steam from a dryer vent.
“We always tell people, call the fire department,” he said. “We’d rather they call a hundred times and we’re not needed, than to not call and lose your whole house.”