Articles
What you don't know about smoke detectors could kill you
by Cara Restelli, KY3 News
SPRINGFIELD, MO -- Firefighters and emergency crews say it again and again: “Smoke detectors save lives.” But a Contact KY3 investigation reveals some smoke detectors may not go off fast enough to save lives.
Two types of smoke detectors are sold. The investigation reveals the type that most people have in their homes has a life-threatening flaw.
“We saw black smoke, flames; the couch was on fire,” Michelle Douglas said in an interview on Nov. 10, 2005.
Douglas still can't believe her family made it out alive of their home in Republic.
“Without a doubt, it was the scariest thing,” she said.
Douglas and her five children escaped their burning home only because her husband was awake when the fire started.
“If I wouldn't have woke up before the smoke detector went off, we would have died upstairs. It's a scary thought,” said Douglas.
The upstairs was full of smoke.
“The heat was just immense,” said Douglas.
The smoke alarm didn't sound for more than 20 minutes, long after the family was safely outside.
“That's unbelievable,” said Douglas.
It’s unbelievable but not uncommon.
Working with the Springfield Fire Department, we set out to show how a room could get so smoky without a smoke alarm sounding. Our investigation clearly shows how different types of smoke detectors have different response rates, depending on the type of fire.
We installed two types of detectors: an ionization alarm, which is found in most homes, and a photoelectric alarm.