Heather Brouwer/Local Journalism Initiative

Some newer smoke alarms are detecting more than just smoke.

“They’re somewhat sensitive to dust,” explains Richard Boyes, Director of Emergency Services for St. Clair Township. “And the alarms react as if it’s smoke.”

The issue was addressed briefly at a recent council meeting, when a councillor noted the increasing number of alarm calls the department had received.

Boyes explains that a large portion of those calls were to newer homes in Corunna’s Paddock Green subdivision. Here, in the new builds, photoelectric smoke alarms are hardwired into the homes and activate when light is reflected onto their sensors.

However, they can also be triggered by dust, debris, dirt, bugs, spiderwebs, humidity, HVAC vents, and direct sunlight.

This has been happening somewhat regularly, he says — at least once a month — to unsuspecting residents, who don’t realize the manufacturer recommends cleaning the units weekly.

“It’s a surprise to most homeowners,” adds Deputy Fire Chief Andrew McMillan.
It even happened to Boyes when he moved into the area.

“I’m a firefighter and I’m not immune,” he says.

Boyes recommends checking your alarm’s manual for best practices in maintaining your unit, as some, like First Alert, require weekly cleaning with compressed air and a soft brush.

One concern around nuisance alarms — besides inconvenience to homeowners and cost to taxpayers — is that people will respond by removing them.

“In most fatal fires, investigations find that the smoke alarm was either not working or removed,” says McMillan, who focuses on fire prevention and fire safety education.

“It is so important that people have working smoke alarms. Early detection and warning of a fire is crucial to anyone’s chance of survival.”

In addition to having working smoke alarms, he says, developing and practicing a home fire escape plan gives everyone the best chance of surviving a fire in the home.

The fine for removing or failing to install a smoke alarm is $360.

An additional concern is that homeowners might ignore nuisance alarms. “It brings a sense of complacency,” says Boyes. “But every time it activates, we need to go into ‘get out of here’ mode.”

He stresses that homeowners must regularly maintain and test their smoke alarms and replace photoelectric units that are nearing the end of their lifetime (seven to 10 years).

“It’s a pretty cheap insurance policy and peace of mind that lets you get out of the house.”

• The Independent