Smoke Alarms (Last Updated 03/06/2008)
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff is participating in voluntary standard and code activities for smoke alarms. These activities support CPSC’s strategic goal of reducing the death rate from fire-related causes. Improving the effectiveness of smoke alarms is among the strategies employed by CPSC staff to reduce the fire death rate.
The National Fire Alarm Code (the National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 72), Life Safety Code (NFPA 101), and the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) standard, UL 217, Single and Multiple Station Smoke Alarms, are the model codes and standards for smoke alarm performance and safety. CPSC staff will continue to support code and standard activities and to improve the effectiveness of smoke alarms through better detection, alerting, and reliability. Consumer awareness and education regarding smoke alarms will also continue to play an important role in helping to prevent fire deaths
In 1999, there were an estimated 337,300 residential fires resulting in 2,390 civilian deaths. Smoke alarms have successfully prevented thousands of residential fire deaths. Reducing the number of non-working alarms and providing unprotected homes with smoke alarms may produce a further reduction in fire deaths. CPSC staff believes that more effective alarms in residential dwellings could have an even greater impact in reducing deaths.
Additional Information
Press Releases:
Fact Sheets:
Incident Data:
Voluntary Standard and Code Activities:
Proposals for 2008 Edition of the National Electrical Code - Comments due by November 2, 2005.
Correspondence to Underwriters Laboratories
October 31, 2003. Response for comments on the Proposed Requirements for the Fifth Edition of the Standard for Single and Multiple Station Smoke Alarms, UL 217, Bulletin Dated October 1, 2003.Correspondence to Underwriters Laboratories
February 25, 2003. Recommendations to address potential reliability and performance issues associated with interconnected smoke alarms, UL 217Correspondence to Underwriters Laboratories
February 25, 2003. Letter to UL on the completion of final report on lithium batteries used in residential smoke alarmsCorrespondence to Underwriters Laboratories
September 6, 2002. Letter to UL on recommendations regarding revisions to UL 217, to address reliability and performance testing for long-life (10-year) battery powered smoke alarms.
CPSC Staff Reports, Memoranda and Contracts:
Contractor Report on The Implementation and Demonstration of Flame Detection and Wireless Communications in a Consumer Appliance to Improve Fire Detection Capabilities by the Naval Research Laboratory for the USCPSC, June 8, 2007
CPSC Staff Report on The Audibility of Smoke Alarms in Residential Homes - (September 2005 - Revised January 2007)
CPSC Staff Report: Considerations for Installation of Smoke Alarms on Residential Branch Circuits - (October, 2005)
CPSC Staff Report: Possible Technologies for Improving the Audibility of Residential Smoke Alarms for Older Adults - (September, 2005)
A Review of the Sound Effectiveness of Residential Smoke Alarms - (December, 2004)
Contractor Report on The Implementation and Demonstration of Wireless Communications Capabilities in Off-the-Shelf, Battery-Powered Smoke Alarms Phase II Report - (March 23, 2004)
Contractor Report on Smoke Alarms, Low-Cost Batteries, and Wireless Technology Technical Report: Phase I - Preparatory Study and Literature Search - (August 29, 2003)
Final Report on Lithium Batteries (UltraLife, ANSI 1604) Used in Residential Smoke Alarms - December 2, 2002
Preliminary Test Results on Lithium Batteries Used in Residential Smoke Alarms - (June 28, 2002)
NIST Report on Home Smoke Alarm Tests
Consumer Product Safety Review: Winter 2004
Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
For further information concerning UL 217 Standard for Single and Multiple Station Smoke Alarms , please contact Dan Ryan at Daniel.P.Ryan@us.ul.com
Contact CPSC
For additional information or to comment, please contact cpsc-os@cpsc.gov
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