During the past 40 years, about 90,000 lives have been saved by smoke detectors and advances in fire-protection technology.

According to research studies, the odds of dying in a house fire have gone down by 50 percent if you have a working smoke detector compared with not having one.Unfortunately, in East Allen Township, Northampton County, last month, a fire killed a 72-year-old woman. Her husband was cooking in the kitchen, but the home didn't have any working detectors. The township fire chief said the fire quickly spread from the kitchen to the rest of the home. The outcome probably would have been different if the home had working smoke detectors.Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek said Joann Stofanak died of smoke inhalation; her husband was treated for injuries that were not considered life-threatening.Modern homes contain large quantities of synthetic furnishings which ignite and burn faster than natural materials such as wood and cotton. The National Institute of Standards and Technology conducted fire tests and concluded that escape time in flaming fires can be as little as three minutes, compared with 17 minutes in tests conducted in the 1970s.The local chapter of the American Red Cross set out last month to reduce the amount of homes in Lehighton without at least one smoke alarm with its first ever canvassing project. Volunteers went door-to-door asking residents if they needed smoke alarms and returned to install them free of charge.Focused on seniors, efforts intensified when a 7-month-old infant died in an October fire along South First Street in the borough.We also have a free smoke-detector program, thanks to a fabulous collaboration between businesses and local fire departments.As part of the Operation Save A Life program, the goal is to distribute 13,000 Kidde smoke alarms to at-risk homes across northeastern and central Pennsylvania. The best part is the detectors are there for the asking.Local fire chiefs or their designates are local coordinators. Nesquehoning Fire Chief John McArdle says they are given out on a first-come, first-served basis in his community, and he still has some to distribute. Tamaqua Fire Chief Tom Hartz Jr. says the only stipulation in his community is that the units be installed by members of his fire department. Because of liability concerns, McArdle says his fire company does not install the detectors.Early smoke detection and alarm notification is needed so occupants can escape before conditions become toxic. Interconnecting smoke alarms allows for faster notification of occupants in areas remote from where initial ignition occurs in the home."We recommend detectors outside of bedrooms and on every level of a home," said McArdle, who has been chief for nearly 24 years and a volunteer for nearly 38 years. He also highly recommends carbon monoxide detectors in homes and businesses.According to the International Association of Fire Chiefs, working smoke alarms in a residence saves lives of both the occupants and firefighters. This is especially true today as most newly constructed homes burn hotter and can experience flashover in as little as three minutes because of the use of engineered lumber and the increased flammability of modern furnishings.One of McArdle's chief concerns is that home occupants either do not replace spent batteries or take out batteries to prevent false alarms. One study showed that 19 percent of the smoke alarms present in home fires had dead or discharged batteries. Replace the batteries twice a year, every time the clocks are changed, McArdle advises.Another problem is nuisance alarms. Cooking is one of the most prevalent reasons for nuisance alarms, causing users to disable the smoke detectors. Fire chiefs urge the public not to locate smoke alarms near cooking appliances to reduce this problem.McArdle also reminds us that smoke alarms can't last forever and must be replaced, especially when they fail to respond to operational tests or no later than 10 years from the marked date of manufacture. McArdle also encourages homeowners to upgrade their battery-operated alarms with approved hard-wired smoke alarms with battery backup.BRUCE FRASSINELLI |

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