Talking Smoke Alarms and Other Tips to Protect Kids from Fire

You've placed a smoke alarm outside your child's bedroom door, taught her to leave the house immediately if she ever hears it go off, and practiced your family fire escape plan. You may think you've adequately protected her from a home fire. But what if she never hears the smoke alarm? What if she sleeps right through it?

Approximately 640 children younger than 14 die in house fires every year, and tens of thousands more are injured. National fire safety agencies estimate that 96 percent of American homes have smoke alarms, and that about three quarters of those are actually in working order. Still, 55 percent of children under 5 who die in house fires were asleep when the fires started.

The reason, according to a growing body of research, is that current smoke alarm models, with their loud beeps and piercing screams, may work to wake adults, but rarely are able to pierce the very deep sleep experienced by young children. In fact, a study by Victoria University's School of Psychology in Melbourne shows that current smoke alarm models rouse just 6 percent of children age 6 to 15.

That same study found that 100 percent of the children tested woke quickly to an alarm that used their mothers' voices, while more than 94 percent responded to an alarm voiced by a female actor.

"Children's ability to escape a fire hinges on two things - an alarm that will dependably awaken them, and a reliable, easy-to-follow, well-practiced escape route," says Steve Forman, co-founder of REDDCO Inc., a company that specializes in fire escape and safety products.  "According to the U.S. Fire Administration, children as young as 3 years old can follow a fire escape plan if they have practiced it often."

Forman and his partners believe so strongly in the value of voice smoke alarms and fire escape routes that they give a free alarm to anyone who purchases their Redi-Exit (TM) System, a sturdy, foldable ladder that permanently installs on the exterior of a house, condo or apartment.

Parents can prepare children to escape a house fire with a few simple steps:

* Consider replacing standard smoke alarms with talking smoke alarms. These smoke alarms allow a parent to personalize an alert in their own voice, using the child's name, and words most likely to rouse their child.

* Create and practice a fire escape plan. Your plan should include two exits from every room in the house, especially bedrooms. Familiarize children with the location and sound of all smoke alarms. Practice your escape plan with your child. Repeat the lesson throughout the year.

* If your house has more than one story, or you live in an apartment or condo, be sure to provide a window exit for upper levels of your home. If your child's bedroom is on the second floor, consider a permanent, foldable fire escape, like the Redi-Exit System, rather than a chain ladder, which can be difficult for children to use.

The Redi-Exit System folds securely out of the way against the exterior wall of the home when not in use and resembles a common downspout. A simple push on the ladder's bright red release knob, located just outside the window, easily opens the ladder. Children as young as 4 or 5 have effectively used the ladder. And its ease of use and durable aluminum construction mean firefighters can easily use it to enter the second or third floor of a burning building.

Available for purchase at www.redi-exit.com, the Redi-Exit System can either be installed by the homeowner, or by one of the qualified professionals in the company's dealer-installer network.

Copyright © 2006, ARA Content