Smoke alarm response times 'wildly vary'

Smoke alarm

Smoke alarm tests by consumer group, Which?, have revealed a pattern of safe-seeming smoke alarms having wildly varying response times.

The fastest alarm to sound in the wood fire test took five minutes and 13 seconds to sound, but the worst took more than four minutes longer to detect smoke and sound the alarm.

With a cotton fire test, the fastest alarm took just 95 seconds to sound with the slowest taking three-and-a-half minutes more to sense smoke in the air and trigger.

According to the official safety testing method – which measures the amount and thickness of smoke that is required to trigger the alarm – these products can all be classified as meeting the BS EN 14604 standard.

BSI – formerly the British Standards Institute – issues the smoke alarms test standard. Asked why this standard is so tolerant of tardy alarms, it said: "The standard covers ionisation and optical alarms, and the test fires ensure that whichever type is used, the alarm provides adequate warning when there is a real fire."

A spokesperson for Which? said: "We do not think this is good enough. Late-to-sound alarms could lead to unthinkable consequences. Finding out and getting out quickly matters when there is a fire in your home.

"There needs to be a stricter new standard that only rewards alarms that sound more quickly.

"We have raised our response-time concerns with BSI, which said that a new smoke alarms standard is being drafted. We will take a close look at it and make our feelings known if it does not go far enough to protect people when there is a fire in the home."