PEDIATRICS Vol. 65 No. 4 April 1980, pp. 718-724
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow P3Rs: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when P3Rs are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Reisinger, K. S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Reisinger, K. S.

Smoke Detectors: Reducing Deaths and Injuries Due to Fire

Keith S. Reisinger MD, MPH1

1 Departments of Pediatrics and Community Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh

The United States leads all nations in the incidence of deaths due to fire. In the past two decades significant technologic advances have resulted in the development of inexpensive and reliable smoke detectors. These detectors can provide early warning to allow sleeping residents easy exit when a fire occurs in the home. Currently, there are three major types of early warning devices: heat detectors, photoelectric smoke detectors, and ionization smoke detectors. Heat detectors sound an alarm in response to rapid increases in temperature and/ or ambient temperatures above 135 F. Photoelectric smoke detectors are particularly effective for smoldering fires, because they are less influenced by the smaller particles of combustion emitted during household cooking or from automobile exhaust than are ionization smoke detectors. The ionization smoke detectors respond more quickly than photoelectric smoke detectors to fast burning fires and have been proved effective in sounding an early alarm in the vast majority of home fires. For best all-around fire protection, a home should have more than one type of detector. Detectors should be located on the ceiling or high on the ceiling of every level of the house close to each bedroom. Properly installed and maintained smoke detectors can reduce the tragic consequences of home fires, but even greater gains can be made by combining these early warning systems with a reduction in home fire hazards and in practicing a well planned fire escape route.

Submitted on May 17, 1979
Accepted on July 3, 1979




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Inj. Prev.Home page
M. R. Douglas, S. Mallonee, and G. R Istre
Comparison of community based smoke detector distribution methods in an urban community
Inj. Prev., March 1, 1998; 4(1): 28 - 32.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]