Not all smoke detectors are created equal

The most common type of smoke detector, used in 90 percent of homes, may not save you from a smoldering fire because they work better when in the vicinity of fast flames. NBC’s Jeff Rossen reports.

Click on link below to view video:

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/49279732#49279732

• Ionization smoke detection is generally more responsive to flaming fires.
  How they work: Ionization-type smoke alarms have a small amount of radioactive material between two electrically charged plates, which ionizes the air and causes current to flow between the plates. When smoke enters the chamber, it disrupts the flow of ions, thus reducing the flow of current and activating the alarm.
• Photoelectric smoke detection is generally more responsive to fires that begin with a long period of smoldering (called “smoldering fires”).
  How they work: Photoelectric-type alarms aim a light source into a sensing chamber at an angle away from the sensor. Smoke enters the chamber, reflecting light onto the light sensor; triggering the alarm.

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 Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Required Under New Law

Amanda’s Law, passed in the 2009 Session of the New York State Legislature, will establish a new requirement for installation of carbon monoxide detectors in homes. Under the law, one-family homes, two-family homes, dwellings located in condominiums or cooperatives, and multiple dwellings must have a carbon monoxide detector installed regardless of the date of construction or sale. 

The law was named after Amanda Hansen, a teenager whose life was tragically ended by a carbon monoxide leak from a defective boiler while she was sleeping at a friend’s house in January 2009.

The new law requires that the carbon monoxide detector be a device meeting New York State standards, and that it be installed in an operable condition in dwellings where there are appliances or systems that may emit carbon monoxide or have an attached garage.

Prior to Amanda’s Law, carbon monoxide detectors were required in one-family dwellings, two-family dwellings, and dwellings located in condominiums or cooperatives only if they were constructed or offered for sale after July 30, 2002. For multiple dwellings (such as a tenement, hotel, and dormitories) carbon monoxide detectors were required if they were constructed or offered for sale after August 9, 2005.

As a result of Amanda’s Law, a carbon monoxide detector will be found in nearly all residential structures in the state. This creates a safer living environment for New York residents and creates a greater awareness of home safety issues that are intensified by seasonal heating issues prevalent in the Northeast.      

Amanda’s Law takes effect on February 22, 2010.

   http://www.dos.state.ny.us/fire/COtoolkit.htm