Pre WWII Detector Technology in a
Modern World? – Time to force a change…
By John M. Stofa Copyright 2012

One of the best kept secrets from the fire service is the fact that within the last 15 years, commercial smoke detection in the fire alarm industry has advanced significantly. It has advanced to the point where the common “system connected” smoke detector is now able to distinguish the smoke from a real fire event against other particles or conditions which could cause a false alarm. Yet the majority of system connected smoke detectors manufactured, sold and installed today simply do not employ such technology. As a matter of fact, we continue to rely on the tried and true single-criteria smoke sensor which was first developed in the 1930’s. And in most cases the ionization or photo-electric smoke sensor is the detector of choice for today’s installation. But is this good enough? Quite simply the answer is no. We should expect and demand more advanced performance from a modern smoke detector, and the technology and products already exist.

Studies have been performed over and over again; and they have proven positively that “false alarms” or what we in the alarm industry preferred to call “nuisance alarms” could be avoided if multi-criteria smoke detectors were installed in conjunction with the routine cleaning, inspection and testing of the smoke detector. The term “false alarm” is just not a true representation of the alarm condition. The system and its detectors are reacting normally, but they may be alarming due to dust, power spikes, insects, steam, or physical conditions other than smoke. Therefore the alarm isn’t false; a false alarm would mean that the system just decided to go off for no apparent reason whatsoever and the genesis of the alarm could not be explained. Today’s modern fire alarm systems have advanced to the point that these false alarms no longer happen. There is always a reason why the system alarmed, and hopefully as first responders we are looking for that cause and not simply pushing the panel’s reset button and hoping that the system clears so that we can close out the call with a disposition of “false alarm, no apparent cause”.

Single-Criteria Smoke Detector Photo Electric or Ionization Only Multi-Criteria Smoke Detector Photo Electric or Ionization and/or Heat Sensing Infrared Sensing (IR) Carbon Monoxide Sensing Laser Smoke Sensing

So what is a multi-criteria smoke detector? Simply put, it is a smoke sensor that uses two or more elements or criteria to sense and detect the presence of smoke and/or the by-products of combustion from a fire. Sensing elements such as photo-electric smoke detection, infrared (IR) light signatures, fixed heat or a rapid rise in temperature and/or the presence of carbon monoxide gas are measured and used together within a “smart” sensor to distinguish what is truly a smoke or fire condition from what is a non-life threatening or nuisance condition.

But rather than require and enforce the use of advanced technology to distinguish what is a real smoke condition from a nuisance alarm, we now see that some jurisdictions are changing their SOPs and stepping down there first response to automatic alarm activations. Or worst yet they are holding up or retarding the dispatch process in order to call the premises to verify if there is a smoke condition or other valid reason for the alarm signal. This sounds like a dangerous workaround to a simple problem. A workaround that could result in the loss of life due to the time lost, and most certainly allow a fire to grow in size, or help advance the spread of smoke.

So if better technology exists that could reduce the “nuisance alarm” problem, then why do we not see more of these “smart” detectors employed? The main problem is of course money. When outfitting a building with a new fire alarm system, the main concern typically is “how much will the fire alarm installation cost and what is the minimum that I need to do?”, and not “what is the best protection that I can reasonably buy?”. The backend aftermarket costs such as maintenance and “nuisance alarm response” are not usually considered or discussed because the end-user is very much removed from the design and installation process and doesn’t get involved until the commissioning process or until they have beneficial use of the system.

So how much more does the basic multi-criteria smoke detector cost? About $24 per smoke detector more than a single-criteria detector. This may sound like a big price difference, but think about that vs. the cost of being fined for multiple nuisance alarm responses or the safety of the first responders. Over the lifetime of both the building and the fire alarm system, this cost difference is negligible and if it saves the life of a firefighter possibly being needlessly killed while responding to a nuisance alarm, it is priceless…

So how do we get building owners who are not required to install multi-criteria smoke detectors today to actually use such technology? Local Fire Departments, Inspectors, Fire Marshalls and AHJs (Authority having Jurisdiction) must push to change and update all applicable local and state codes to require the use of multi-criteria smoke detectors, and outlaw the use of new single-criteria smoke detectors. Much like we pushed to eliminate the use of antiquated and dangerous single jacket hose lines, the time has come to shift the community to a better detector technology and enforce the change. Going forward it would be the best way to protect people and property, and hopefully prevent the senseless death of a first responder due to a nuisance alarm. The technology is available, let’s embrace it.