The Importance of Smoke Alarms in Our Homes - Essay Example

Smoke alarms Introduction Two years ago, an elderly blind woman in my hometown lost all of her belongings in a fire that destroyed her house one Friday night. Although she managed to escape, the injuries she sustained have left her hospitalized till this day. She is a person I have known for years, a close friend and neighbor. The unfortunate event of that night has left the once happy and independent woman poor and destitute. This incident, among many others, reminds us of the danger posed by fires in our homes and other areas of residence. There is the need to look for ways of preventing and reducing the damages and deaths caused by fires in our homes. A smoke alarm is a device that can help in this fight by detecting the presence of smoke. The debate has however been on whether or not homeowners should install these devices. Homeowners should be required to install smoke alarms because they can save lives, help in protecting property, and the purchase of smoke alarms and reducing fires helps boost the economy. Discussion There a number of arguments against the use of smoke alarms in homes. First, it has been argued that many of the fire detectors in the market today are ineffective and are near useless. In an article written by Richard Patton (2010), the author argues that most of the deaths caused by fires are due to the inability of existing smoke alarms to relay alarms. For instance, he states that the ionization fire detector that has been marketed for more than forty years is defective and unreliable (Patton, 6). He argues that most of the smoke alarms in the market today endanger the lives of the users, and therefore should not be promoted for use in homes. He backs this claim by quoting a report by Gordon Vickery prepared in 1980 in which 50 million detectors were placed in buildings across America in a period of two years yet the fire loss and death rate went up in the same period (Patton, 6). However, Patton’s claim is not sufficiently convincing. Although some of the alarms in the market today might be ineffective, the solution lies in designing better alarms that have a better response. Furthermore, the study he is quoting to support this claim was conducted more than 30 years ago and it is likely that improvements have been made on these alarms. A related argument against the use of these alarms has been on the health risks they pose. In an article titled ‘the Potential Hazard of Ionizing Radiation in Smoke Detectors’ (2005) by Rosalie Bertell, the author states that ionizing smoke detectors have a radioactive component- Americium 241. This component has a half life of 458 years. It may be inhaled by the users as a result of the deterioration of the packaging of the detector when it is discarded in landfills. Therefore, having these detectors in our homes is likely to increase this threat, and the population may be exposed to diseases such as cancer and other genetic disorders. According to this article, this compound is absorbed in the body easily through the intestines or lungs. This is a major danger to the future generations, and therefore should not be used in our homes. The problem with this argument is that the author fails to explore the different safe options that can be used in disposing these detectors. Although they may have some form of radiation, proper disposals mechanisms can help eliminate this threat. In addition, the author does not clearly state the actual threat posed by these detectors. The arguments are not backed up with figures to illustrate this threat. The threat may not be significant after all. The use of these detectors cannot be trashed on the basis of the above claims since the benefits outweigh the costs by far. First, the purchase of smoke alarms and the reducing of fires is important to the growth of the economy. In a study conducted by Haddix et al (2001), the authors attempted to estimate the cost effectiveness of a smoke alarm giveaway program conducted in Oklahoma City. The results of the study showed that using these devices helped in reducing medical costs for resulting fire related injuries. In addition, prevention of fires helped to eliminate the deaths of a productive population in the city (Haddix et al, 278). Therefore, the purchase of these devices is important in promoting businesses that specialize in the manufacture of these gadgets. From an economic perspective, the deaths resulting from fires take away a productive proportion of the population, and hence the use of the smoke alarms is one way of ensuring this population is not affected. From an individual point of view, the costs incurred in purchasing and installing a smoke alarm is less than that incurred in treating fire related injuries. In general, fire alarms help in promoting economic growth and development. Another issue related to the economy is the protection of property. The use of smoke alarms help to minimize the damages and loss of property. There are different items and products that can be found in our homes and these include furniture, clothing, electronics and personal documents. In the event of a fire, such property, including the house itself, is likely to be destroyed. In a research conducted by the Underwriters Laboratories Inc. (2011), it is noted that modern homes have furnishings mainly made from synthetic materials. Such materials ignite faster and can accelerate a fire. In the presence of a smoke detector, the smoke generated when such items ignite can easily be detected and the fire put out before it spreads (Underwriters Laboratories, 3). This illustrates how smoke alarms help in minimizing damages and loss of property in the event of a fire. This is particularly important in the modern world where houses are used as offices and to store expensive and vital items. As illustrated in the introduction, a fire has the potential to change the life of an individual for the worse. Smoke alarms are thus vital. A part from damages to property, smoke alarms are crucial in preventing deaths. Installing smoke alarms is a strategy that will help reduce the deaths resulting from fires. Gregory Istre and Sue Mallonee (2000) conducted a research on the effectiveness of smoke alarms in preventing house fire related deaths and injuries. The authors noted that these gadgets have played a critical role in reducing fire related deaths. They further show that homes that lack smoke alarms are at a high risk of fire and related deaths and injuries compared to those hoes with smoke alarms. These homes are identified as those in the lowest socio-economic neighborhoods. These results are also supported by the findings of the study conducted by Elanor Sidman, David Grossman and Beth Mueller (2011). It is clear that a home that lacks a smoke alarm is associated with fire and fire-related deaths and injuries. This requires that all homeowners need to install these gadgets in their homes in order to minimize these cases. As the two studies have shown, this is more critical in lower economic status homes. Conclusion This essay has attempted to highlight the importance of smoke alarms in our homes. These gadgets play an important role in reducing deaths related to fires, reducing damage to property and the purchase and use of these gadgets is important to the economy. Most of the arguments against the use of these gadgets are centered on their ineffectiveness and the ionization radiation caused by the ionizing smoke alarms. However, these arguments are not sufficient to discourage the use of smoke alarms since alternative methods and technologies can be explored to address the stated concerns. As highlighted in the introduction, the danger posed by fires in our homes is real and enormous. In order to minimize such incidences in future, it is important for all homeowners to install these gadgets in their homes. Works cited Bertell, Rosalie. “The Potential Hazard of Ionizing Radiation in Smoke Detectors.” International Institute of Concern for Public Health, 2005. Web http://iicph.org/radioactive_fire_detectors accessed 3 Dec. 2013 Haddix, A.C et al. “Cost effectiveness analysis of a smoke alarm giveaway program in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.” Injury Prevention. 7. (2001):276–281 Istre, Gregory and Mallonee, Sue. “Smoke alarms and prevention of house-fire—related deaths and injuries.” Western Journal of Medicine . 173. 2. (2000): 92–93. Patton, Richard. “Why America is burning.” Pp. 1-30. May, 2010. Web < http://www.theworldfiresafetyfoundation.org/waib_files/WhyAmericaIsBurning01Augus t10.pdf > accessed 4 Dec 2013. Sidman, Elanor., Grossman, David and Mueller, Beth. “Comprehensive Smoke Alarm Coverage in Lower Economic Status Homes: Alarm Presence, Functionality, and Placement.” Journal of Community Health, 36. (2011): 525–533 Underwriters Laboratories Inc. “Smoke Alarms and the Modern Residence Fire: Recent Studies and Research at UL.” Underwriters Laboratories Inc, 2011. Web < http://www.ul.com/global/documents/offerings/perspectives/regulators/SmokeAlarmsIn ModernResidences.pdf > accessed 4 Dec 2013. Read More