MYTH: Because of the widespread use of smoke detectors and advancements

in fire fighting technology, fatalities from home fires are rare.

This depends a bit on what "rare" means to you. In 2007 there were 414,000 residential fires in the US. As a result of those fires, 2,865 people lost their lives. That means on average almost eight people die from a residential fire every single day.

MYTH: The reason modern smoke alarms use a loud, high-pitched beeping sound is because it has been scientifically proven as the best sound for waking people up if there is a fire.

Unfortunately this isn't true. Home smoke alarms use a high-frequency alarm signal because they can make that sound very loud with a small speaker even if the alarm is only using battery power. If you're awake and have normal hearing, this alarm signal is going to work just fine. But if you're asleep, the standard signal may simply not be enough. This is especially true for certain groups of people: young children, seniors, heavy sleepers, people who are hard of hearing, people who use sleep medications, and people who fall asleep under the influence of alcohol.

Controlled scientific testing has shown that the low-frequency (520 Hz) square-wave sound pattern such as the one used by the Lifetone HL Bedside Fire Alarm and Clock is the most effective at waking people up.

MYTH: If I don't wake up from my smoke alarm, the smell of smoke will wake me up.

More than one in three people who die in a fire never woke up before they sustained their fatal injuries. Smoke in a typical home fire contains a deadly mixture of gases that can actually drug a person into deeper sleep! It is vital that you wake up as quickly as possible in a home fire emergency, and that is precisely what the Lifetone HL can help you do.

MYTH: Most home fires that result in fatalities are because there isn't a smoke alarm installed.

Actually smoke alarms are present in more than half (58%) of fatal residential fires. However, they are operational in only 37% of these fatal fires. So another way to say this is that in over one-third of fatal home fires, working smoke alarms were not enough to prevent fatalities. So, while working smoke alarms provide a major margin of safety against home fire deaths, they are not a guarantee. A Lifetone HL Bedside Fire Alarm and Clock adds the extra level of protection that can make the difference in escaping a home fire in time.

MYTH: All smoke alarms are pretty much the same.

Actually there two major types of smoke alarms sold in the US today. Each one uses a different technology for detecting fire and each one is a little better than the other at detecting certain types of fires. Currently either type of smoke alarm is acceptable for meeting building code requirements.

A photoelectric smoke detector uses a tiny light beam and when smoke particles affect the light beam it triggers the alarm. Photoelectric alarms are considered best at early detection of smoldering fires--the kind that produce smoke for some time before erupting into full flame.

The other type is called an ionization smoke detector and it uses a small electric current that is passed through the air between two plates; when smoke particles interrupt the current flow, the alarm triggers. Ionization alarms are considered best at early detection of flaming fires. 

There are also dual-sensor smoke alarms that use both types of detection. While these could be considered "the best of both worlds," they are also more expensive. Some manufacturers are also making combination smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors.

MYTH: Because a smoke alarm provides an early warning of fire, it will give me and my family plenty of time to get out of the house.

We're calling this a myth because you cannot assume you'll have "plenty of time" in any fire emergency. Experts generally say you should plan on having no more than about two minutes to escape once your smoke alarm is triggered because fire and deadly smoke is capable of spreading very quickly. According to the US Fire Administration, "In less than 30 seconds a small flame can get completely out of control and turn into a major fire. It only takes minutes for a house to fill with thick black smoke and become engulfed in flames."

Working smoke alarms are vitally important to home fire safety and they save many lives. However, if your smoke alarm goes off you and your loved ones must get out of the house quickly. A Lifetone HL Bedside Fire Alarm and Clock can provide an extra margin of safety because it uses the alarms proven most effective at waking people in a fire emergency.

MYTH: Living in a newer home means my risk of death or injury from a fire is lower.

While we don't have specific statistics, fire experts say this isn't necessarily true because most fires result from human behavior and have nothing to do with the physical characteristics of the home. Some fire officials think newer homes might be worse in fires because they are much better insulated and thus tend to keep heat trapped, possibly leading to more rapid spreading of the fire and reduced escape time.

MYTH: Smoking is the leading cause of home fires.

Actually, kitchen fires are the #1 cause of home fires and fire injuries.

MYTH: Most fire fatalities occur during the dinner hours because of kitchen fires

that erupt quickly.

While we pointed out in Myth #8 that the kitchen is the source of most fires, it turns out that a little more than half of home fire fatalities are caused by fires that happen between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. that do not start in a kitchen. Actually the #1 cause of home fires that result in a death is fire caused by heating sources.

This is another reason why the Lifetone HL Bedside Fire Alarm and Clock can be so valuable to your safety. Most deadly fires happen while people are asleep, and the Lifetone HL™ uses the alarms proven to wake you up.

MYTH: In fatal fires the cause of death is usually from burns.

Most deaths in a fire are a result of breathing in smoke. Smoke can kill in two ways. It can suffocate you by filling a room and cutting off your access to sufficient oxygen. It can also fill your lungs with toxic gases that are a by-product of the many different materials (plastics, synthetic fabrics, paints and coatings, household chemicals, etc.) that are burning in a home fire. This is why it is so critical to get out of a burning home quickly.