Potentially Unsafe Smoke Detectors


7/20/2016 • 8 years ago

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State Fire Marshal Shares Warning of Potentially Unsafe Smoke Alarms
National Association Urges Online Retailers to Remove Non-compliant Alarms

STOW – The Massachusetts State Fire Marshal’s Office joins the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) in issuing an advisory to consumers about the online purchase of smoke alarms that do not carry the testing labels from a nationally recognized third party testing laboratory.

NASFM, an association whose principal membership is comprised of the senior fire officials in the United States and their top deputies, is asking Amazon, the country’s largest online retailer, to stop the sale of smoke alarms that are not tested to nationally-recognized standards. NASFM is also asking the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to take action to ensure consumers are protected and purchasing safe products.

State Fire and Building Codes Require Smoke Alarms to Meet National Standards

“Smoke alarms are crucial safety devices that should be a part of every home,” said State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey “The thorough review process of recognized independent testing laboratories helps ensure alarms will perform properly. Care must be taken to ensure safety products bought online meet established national standards and the Massachusetts Comprehensive Fire Safety and Building Codes.” All smoke alarms installed in Massachusetts homes must be listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory.

NASFM identified several smoke alarm brands lacking third party testing laboratory marks on Amazon including: X-Sense, Arikon and Bovon.

The products in question are smoke alarms that do not carry the testing labels from a nationally recognized third party testing laboratory such as Underwriter Laboratories (UL) or Intertek/ETL – the two largest independent safety testing companies for electrical products. Smoke alarms sold in the United States are sent to UL or Intertek/ETL for testing and review. The companies test smoke alarms in accordance to the UL 217 standard, the industry-accepted standard. Products with these marks are evidence that the smoke alarm has been independently tested and found in compliance with the standard. Products not tested to this standard may not accurately detect fire, alarm the consumer in a timely fashion, and operate for the desired time period or other critical functions. There is just no way to know.

“We are asking the CPSC to investigate this matter and urge Amazon and other online retailers to stop selling smoke alarms and other fire safety products that do not carry the UL or ETL marks, or marks from another third party that has tested the alarms to the UL 217 standard,” said NASFM President Butch Browning. “We are also asking that retailers review their smoke alarm products and remove any non-listed products from their websites immediately.”

State Fire Marshal Ostroskey offers these reminders on smoke alarms:

  • Install smoke alarms on every level of your home; in hallways outside the bedroom; at the bottom of every stairway including basements; and inside the bedroom especially for children, sound sleepers, or smokers.
  • Make sure everyone can hear the alarm and knows what it sounds like.
  • Smoke alarms with sealed, 10-year batteries are available. If the alarm chirps on these units, warning that the battery is low, replace the entire smoke alarm right away.
  • For smoke alarms with any other type of battery, replace batteries at least once a year (preferably twice a year during daylight saving time). If that alarm chirps, replace only the battery.
  • Remember, even alarms that are hard-wired into your home electrical system need to have their battery back-ups maintained in case of electrical power outage.
  • For people who are deaf or hard of hearing, use a bed shaker that wirelessly connects to the smoke alarms in the bedroom and visual smoke alarms in other rooms.
  • Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning to keep smoke alarms working well. The instructions are included in the package or can be found on the internet.
  • Test alarms once a month using the test button. Replace the entire alarm if it’s more than 10 years old or fails to sound when tested.
  • Make a family escape plan with two ways out of every room and an outside meeting place. Share and practice the plan with all who live in the home, including children.
  • When a smoke alarm sounds, get out of the home immediately and go to the meeting place to call 911.

For more information on smoke alarms go to: www.mass.gov/dfs and search on ‘Smoke Alarms’.