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A Smoke Alarm May Not Wake up Your Child

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Smoke Alarms and Children
While smoke alarms have helped save countless lives over the past 30 years, research has shown that children younger than 16 may not reliably wake up when the alarm goes off. The fact that children may sleep through the sound of a smoke alarm must be taken into account when creating the family fire escape plan.

CPSC, USFA, the National Fire Protection Association, International Association of Fire Chiefs, and International Association of Fire Fighters all recommend that families conduct a fire escape drill either late at night or early in the morning. This drill will help parents determine if their child/children are awakened by and able to respond to the sound of a smoke alarm. For those children who do not respond, the traditional fire escape plan of everyone meeting at a common location outside the home may leave them at risk. The fire safety community encourages parents and caregivers to assist children in getting to a safe location when an alarm activates at a time when they are asleep.

CPSC staff came to the following conclusions about children and smoke alarms in a 2004 report on this issue:

• Children under the age of 16 have longer periods of deep sleep compared to adults
  
• Current smoke alarms do not reliably wake children under the age of 16.
  
• Various home configurations and locations of smoke alarms can limit the transmission of sound throughout the house.
  
• Interconnected smoke alarms can provide earlier warning of smoke and fire and placing them inside bedrooms may provide improved warning when bedroom doors are closed.