Professional Documents
Culture Documents
T
But is this true? he Australasian Fire inhalation before the flames
MYTH BUSTED and Emergency reached them.
In the mid-70's less than 15%
Service Authorities
So, after in-depth research,
of homes had smoke alarms Council (AFAC) is the peak
A FA C s t a t e s t h a t t h e
and for every 1,000 home fires body for all Australian and
there were 8 fire deaths. ionization type of smoke
New Zealand Fire Brigades.
alarm, the type of alarm
In 2005, thirty years later, 95% A FA C r e l e a s e d t h e i r
of homes had smoke alarms found in almost every
landmark Position on Smoke
and for every 1,000 home fires Australasian home, may not
there are STILL 8 fire deaths. Alarms in Residential
alarm early enough in the
Accommodation document
Today with over 95% of homes type of fire most likely to kill.
having smoke alarms, there on 01 June, 2006.
are just as many fire deaths THE DECEPTION
per 1,000 home fires as there THE PROBLEM
Think about it, this is a
were when only 15% of homes In their official position
had smoke alarms. device you buy to do one
statement AFAC warns that
thing and one thing only -
Evidence shows we now have “Ionization smoke alarms
half the fire deaths because detect smoke. Ye t i t
may not operate in time to
the number of home fires has frequently fails to do that, so
alert occupants early
dropped in half (due to less frequently in fact that
cooking, less smoking, safer
enough to escape from
evidence held by the CSIRO
electrical appliances, flame smouldering fires.”
retardants materials etc).
shows it may fail to warn you
Thatʼs a very serious when you need it most.
So why is the ionization alarm
(the type in almost every home)
statement. Especially when
hailed as such a success when one considers that in over THE BIG LIES: #1
the number of deaths per 70% of fire deaths the “But Iʼm OK, my Alarm goes
thousand home fires has not victims died from smoke off when I Burn the Toast.”
changed?
VFFAMagSummer2010.pdf | Updated: 08 March, 2011 | Check for latest version at: www.theWFSF.org/vffa 2 of 7
Note: This is an updated version of the front cover and the World Fire Safety Foundationʼs special report extracted from pages 20 - 24 of the summer
2010 edition of the official magazine of the Volunteer Fire Fighters Association of New South Wales, Australia.
Smoke Alarm Report - October, 2010 | The World Fire Safety Foundation
TRUTH BE TOLD
Although hit and miss, across
the ditch in New Zealand the
Fire Service has at least made
a start.
Tragically almost everyone villagers in the story about The trouble is, if there really
thinks theyʼre OK because the boy who cried wolf, when is a fire, the delay could
when you cook toast, or we are subjected to so many mean the difference between
open the door to a hot oven, false alarms, we too become life, being maimed, injured or
your smoke alarm may complacent. killed.
sound. So, surely you must TIME IS RUNNING OUT DEATHLY SILENCE
be OK, right? The alarm goes off at night, Despite the fact ionisation
Wrong! One of the worst you get an elbow in the ribs alarms false alarm so
from your partner telling you frequently, when you need
things about ionization
smoke alarms is they lull itʼs your job to check why the them most, they may remain
alarm is going off again. deathly silent. Why?
people into a false sense of
security. This problem is so bad that a Because ionization smoke
Cry “Wolf!” Harris Interactive poll found alarms do not detect visible
that only 8% of people smoke, instead they detect
The ionization smoke alarm
surveyed thought that their sub-micron particles of
is like the little boy in the
smoke alarm going off meant combustion - exactly what
childrenʼs story who cried
there was a fire or they had you get when cooking toast.
wolf. They false alarm so
frequently that studies show to get out. continued page 5 . . .
that 20%-30% of us either
disable the alarm, remove One of the worst things
the battery or choose not to about ionization smoke
replace the battery when flat.
alarms is they lull
And as if thatʼs not bad
enough, it gets even worse.
people into a false sense
Because just like the of security.
VFFAMagSummer2010.pdf | Updated: 08 March, 2011 | Check for latest version at: www.theWFSF.org/vffa 3 of 7
Note: This is an updated version of the front cover and the World Fire Safety Foundationʼs special report extracted from pages 20 - 24 of the summer
2010 edition of the official magazine of the Volunteer Fire Fighters Association of New South Wales, Australia.
Smoke Alarm Report - October, 2010 | The World Fire Safety Foundation
Discover how:
a) Standards Australiaʼs FP-002 committee formally acknowledged Australiaʼs existing Smoke Alarm Standard
(AS3786 - 1993) is flawed because the existing testing allowing them to pass has now been deemed invalid.
b) Standards Australia rewrote AS3786 and eliminated the flawed (MIC ʻXʼ) testing.
c) CSIRO test data since 1993 shows that under the corrected, draft smoke alarm standard ionization smoke alarms
will fail the existing, valid smoke test.
w w w. t h e W F S F. o r g / s a
VFFAMagSummer2010.pdf | Updated: 08 March, 2011 | Check for latest version at: www.theWFSF.org/vffa 4 of 7
Note: This is an updated version of the front cover and the World Fire Safety Foundationʼs special report extracted from pages 20 - 24 of the summer
2010 edition of the official magazine of the Volunteer Fire Fighters Association of New South Wales, Australia.
Smoke Alarm Report - October, 2010 | The World Fire Safety Foundation
w w w. t h e W F S F. o r g / l e g i s l a t i o n
THE BIG LIES: #2 And isnʼt this hypocritical of The BIG LIES: #3
“Any Smoke Alarm is Better the fire service and other “Thereʼs 3 Causes of Fire:
than No Smoke Alarm.” authorities to criticise people Men, Women & Children.”
Of course, on the surface for disconnecting their alarm One line that the fire services
this argument sounds and for being complacent? and other authorities like to
reasonable - but does it have trot out is that there are three
any integrity? BIG NUMBERS
causes of fire: men, women
After all, we arenʼt talking
As weʼve already and children.
about 2% - 3% of people
discovered:
who disconnect their smoke Well, there are three causes
20% - 30% of us have detectors because of false that still allow the ionization
disabled our alarms; alarms, we are talking about smoke alarm to still be
92% of us donʼt react 20% - 30% - thatʼs a pretty marketed: bureaucrats, pencil
quickly to an alarm big chunk of the population. pushers, and politicians - all
because we think: “itʼs of whom are more interested
And it is a staggering 92% of
probably just another false in covering their backsides
people who, due to those
alarm”; and than they are in getting the
frequent false alarms, are
truth to the public.
in the type of fire that complacent. Ninety-two
accounts for more than percent! They would rather put the
70% of fire deaths, the blame back on you - on the
alarm may not sound in WHEN WILL THEY LEARN? men, women, and children -
time anyway. How big do the bureaucrats rather than admit they got it
So, knowing that, is it any need those numbers to be wrong.
wonder CBS Atlanta recently before they get the
message: the problem isnʼt They would rather point the
declared ionization type
the people, itʼs the product! finger at you than admit they
smoke alarms as “Deadly”?
VFFAMagSummer2010.pdf | Updated: 08 March, 2011 | Check for latest version at: www.theWFSF.org/vffa 5 of 7
Note: This is an updated version of the front cover and the World Fire Safety Foundationʼs special report extracted from pages 20 - 24 of the summer
2010 edition of the official magazine of the Volunteer Fire Fighters Association of New South Wales, Australia.
Smoke Alarm Report - October, 2010 | The World Fire Safety Foundation
were duped by clever cons photoelectric smoke alarms, NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE
and deceptive advertising as their official position. However, fence sitting is
cooked up by ionization simply not good enough.
Yet, even so, so far as the
smoke alarm manufacturers. Having admitted the problem
public is concerned the
CHANGING TIDE authorities continue to sit on with ionization type smoke
the fence, afraid of the alarms, it is now time for fire
In the early days of our
damage to their reputation if authorities and consumer
campaign, we were laughed
admit the truth, because bodies to admit that
at and derided by fire
then the public may ask ionization alarms are ʻnot fit
authorities and told we did
some uncomfortable for purposeʼ and alert the
not know what we were
questions about why they public before more lives are
talking about.
allowed this appalling lost.
Now, years later, those
situation to happen in the
same fire authorities have
adopted our stance that all first place.
homes be fitted with
Pr op os e d C l as s A c t i o n L a w s u i t
Just two of the many ads from the 60ʼs making false, misleading
and/or deceptive claims about ionization smoke alarms.
w w w. t h e W F S F. o r g / c l a s s a c t i o n
VFFAMagSummer2010.pdf | Updated: 08 March, 2011 | Check for latest version at: www.theWFSF.org/vffa 6 of 7
Note: This is an updated version of the front cover and the World Fire Safety Foundationʼs special report extracted from pages 20 - 24 of the summer
2010 edition of the official magazine of the Volunteer Fire Fighters Association of New South Wales, Australia.
Smoke Alarm Report - October, 2010 | The World Fire Safety Foundation
2. Hear the Radio Interviews & See Your Fire Brigades OFFICIAL Position:
w w w. t h e W F S F. o r g / a f a c
VFFAMagSummer2010.pdf | Updated: 08 March, 2011 | Check for latest version at: www.theWFSF.org/vffa 7 of 7
Note: This is an updated version of the front cover and the World Fire Safety Foundationʼs special report extracted from pages 20 - 24 of the summer
2010 edition of the official magazine of the Volunteer Fire Fighters Association of New South Wales, Australia.