The "10-Year" Smoke Alarm Study
In 1998, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control began awarding funds to 14 state health departments to implement Smoke Alarm Installation and Fire Safety Education programs, which included installation of lithium-powered “10-year” smoke alarms in homes at high risk for fires and injuries. With CDC funding, the National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) randomly selected 427 homes in five participating states (Georgia, Virginia, Washington, Kentucky, and Oklahoma) for enrollment in the project. Inspectors from each state enrolled dwelling units and conducted visual inspections of the installed smoke alarms and CO alarms (if present). Eight to 10 years after the installation of these smoke alarms, 33% of the alarms were functional and 67% were either missing or nonfunctional. Read more>