For Lieutenant Tanner and his crew, responding to smoke alarm installation calls is normal this time of year. Tanner says, "One of the most common misconceptions is that people think that when they have a fire in their home at night they will smell the smoke and it will wake them up but that is not the case...smoke detectors are supposed to wake people up inside the home." It takes them two minutes to complete an installation...that's about how much time you and your family have to get out of a burning house before becoming victims. "Any type of alarm system that would wake you up at night if there is an emergency would be wonderful." said Tanner. Bbut what if the fire alarm is not enough? When tested on children a regular siren alarm was only 57% effective. Now, there's a new type of alarm on the market. Tanner told us, "It is called the kid smart safe detector...the parent or guardian can record a message to the child." 99% of children tested responded to a voice alarm. Signal one and others like it can be purchased at home stores and on the internet. As Tanner told us, "Anyone in general is going to respond to a voice." Voice activated or regular siren, your home should be equipped with one. Prices range from free to $40.
