Comments on: How my daughter-to-be protected me from a fire: a true story about smoke detectors.

By: Tim Hogan

Tim Hogan — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 16:57:48 +0000

Hey, howzat for good kharma?

By: Niklaus Pfirsig

Niklaus Pfirsig — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 21:50:57 +0000

I caught an interesting report on the TV this morning comparing the different types of smoke detectors. There are basically 3 types: ionizing, photoelectric and hybrid. the ionizing type are the most common, cheapest, and the least reliable. in the comparison, it took several minutes for an ionizing detector to sound with a slow smoldering smokey fire while the photoelectric sensor sounded within seconds. the hybrid detected triggered a little after the photelectric and long before the ionizing detector.

Ionizing detectors use a tiny dot of radioactive polonium to statically charge smoke particles. The ionized particles are attracted to a charge sensor that triggers the alarm when the static charge exceeds a threshold level. The ionozing effect of the polonium weakens over time and the detectors become less sensitive. so the detector should be replace after 5 or 6 years with a new one.
photoelectric detectors watch for rapid changes in the optical quality of the air, and the hybrid combines both ionizing and photoelectric sensors.

By: Erika Price

Erika Price — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 20:08:38 +0000

I definitely have to confess to a misled sense of immortality toward such a disaster. I think most people have the ill-conceived notion that fires only befall the absent-minded who leave fireplaces burning or forget to shut off the stove. Thanks for reminding me that fire can strike even when you take proper precautions!

A few days ago I found a fire extinquisher left unannounced by my landlord under the sink. I’ll have to make sure to alert my roomates that it exists!

By: Artemis

Artemis — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 13:51:59 +0000

Its amazing how seemingly “innocent” activities can lead to a fire in a matter of moments. My “fire story”: I was preparing for a Native American ceremony called Hamblecha (Vision Quest). The ceremony called for the creation of hundreds of prayer ties, which needed to be smudged with smoke from burning sage. I was sitting in one of the bedrooms of my apartment, outside of which was a smoke detector. I burned a lot of sage during this process, which of course produced the desired smoke. Since this caused the smoke detector to go off, I closed the bedroom door. When I had filled the abolone shell with charred sage, I took the ashes into the kitchen and dumped them into the trash! I ignored the smoke detector as it went off yet again but..you guessed it… I had started a kitchen fire with those still hot, smouldering ashes! Duh. FORTUNATELY I HAD A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. And yes, Erich, the fumes from those devices are ghastly, and they leave a powdery white substance all over the walls and in the duct work; it takes weeks to fully clean up the residue. Did I care? Hell no. My kitchen suffered minor damage, and there’s nothing like the heart-stopping excitement of seeing leaping flames coming out of your kitchen trash can. A fire extinguisher was the ONLY thing that could’ve handled that blaze. I don’t recall if I called the fire department that night; I do remember my landlord was incredibly understanding and did not charge me for the damage. After reading your post and the comment from Ben, I am now resolved to obtain a CO2 detector… so I’ll have a working smoke detector, fire extinguisher, AND a CO2 dectector. I still burn sage, as well as candles and incense, but I can assure you I am not eager to give myself a repeat of the thrilling experience that one gets from battling a fire.

By: Dan Klarmann

Dan Klarmann — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 12:51:35 +0000

I was awakened one morning a couple of years ago by a smoke detector. By the time I found the source of smoke in the basement and sprayed it with the fire extinguisher, it was just a smoking, bubbling mass of blackened plastic with an electrical cord.
A small, portable fan we were using for air circulation in the basement apparently had problems.
Fortunately, it was sitting on concrete at least a foot from the wooden wall.

It was the kitchen smoke detector that went off. I should put one (back) up in the basement in case the next event isn’t so luckily located in a non-flammable area. The smoking plastic didn’t set off our basement monoxide/gas detector.

By: Erich Vieth

Erich Vieth — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 05:32:46 +0000

Yes. Actually, we have two CO detectors.

By: Ben

Ben — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 05:09:45 +0000

I assume you have a carbon monoxide detector.