Risk of dying in home fire cut in half with working smoke alarms: report

Quincy, MA – About 60 percent of home fire deaths from 2007 to 2011 occurred in homes that lacked working smoke alarms, according to a report from the National Fire Protection Association.

More than one-third of home fire deaths took place in properties that had no smoke alarms, while one-quarter occurred in homes that had smoke alarms that failed to operate. The report states that the death rate from fires was twice as high in homes that did not have working smoke alarms.

Alarm failures most often were caused by missing, disconnected or dead batteries, according to the report.

NFPA recommends testing smoke alarms once a month and installing them inside each bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of the home.