The Effectiveness Of The Domestic Smoke Alarm Signal

Author : Arthur Lee
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 35 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (67 download)

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Download or read book Possible Technologies for Improving the Audibility of Residential Smoke Alarms for Older Adults written by Arthur Lee and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 35 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2003, there were an estimated 36 million people in the United States over the age of 65 years - just over 12% of the U.S. population. During the 20th century, the number of people 65 years and over grew from 3 million to 35 million, and is projected to grow to almost 87 million by 2050. According to a 1999 report by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), residential fires injure approximately 3,000 older adults each year. In comparison to the rest of the population, older adults - those over 65 years of age - represent one of the highest fire risk groups in the United States. For 1999, the fire death rate for people over 65 is 25.3 fire deaths per million, or more than twice the national average. The fire death rate increases for older age groups. For those over the age of 75, the fire death rate (32.9 fire deaths per million) is about three times the national average. Causes for the higher death rates among older adults may be associated with the physical and mental challenges related to aging. One concern is that seniors may not adequately hear or respond to smoke alarms because they commonly experience hearing loss in the frequency range at which smoke alarms operate. In 2003, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) staff initiated a project to review the audibility effectiveness of residential smoke alarms. Currently, residential smoke alarms operate at sound frequencies that may produce alarm sound characteristics poorly suited for the older population. A report of the CPSC staff work, A Review of the Sound Effectiveness of Residential Smoke Alarms, was released in 2004. The report presented a literature review of the sound effectiveness of residential smoke alarms in producing audible signals suitable for alerting older adults and for waking sleeping children. The staff also reviewed possible alternatives or modifications to current smoke alarms, such as changes in smoke alarm horn frequency, cues, or other methods that may improve alarm sound effectiveness. This report summaries work conducted by the CPSC staff to examine the feasibility of applying technical solutions, such as modifications to residential smoke alarms or the addition of secondary devices that could be triggered by an activated smoke alarm, to improve the sound effectiveness for smoke alarms. The CPSC staff built several prototype smoke alarms that could communicate with secondary devices capable of alarming at lower frequency tones. The ultimate goal of these improvements is to increase the available escape time for occupants, especially for older adults. The CPSC staff believes that improvements in smoke alarm sound effectiveness could lead to an increase in available escape time for occupants in a residential fire. The use of interconnected smoke alarms and lower frequency alarm tones may result in improved audibility, especially for older adults, which could lead to a reduction in the number of fire deaths and injuries.