Three Ways That the Phony Smoke Detector
Content
THREE WAYS THAT THE PHONY SMOKE DETECTOR COULD HAVE KILLED JACK NYE
The Sacramento Bee dated April 20, 2008 told the story of the Jack Nye, a 75 year old man in an apartment house in Carmichael. All apartment houses are required to have operating smoke detectors and, at least theoretically, the fire inspectors test them periodically. Presumably any smoke detector or any other type of Underwriters’ Laboratory tested and approved fire detector, will sound when any early fire first starts, at the incipient stage. When a fire is still small it is easy to snuff out or to escape. And, it should be noted that the type of smoke detector presently installed in at least 80 million U.S. homes (called an ionization type) was advertised as being so incredibly fast to warn that it would operate “before the smoke or flames could be seen”. Well, if that device warned Jack Nye before the smoke or flames became visible, why did he not terminate that pre-fire condition or at least leave the apartment warning others on the way out? The problem was that the performance claims were performance lies. The manufacturers/sellers lied about its performance capabilities, and even worse, UL engineers rigged and falsified fire tests to hide the failure modes of the device. Of course, if the truth had been told billions of them would not have sold. Here’s the basic problem with the smoke detector that caused Jack Nye’s death. The operation system includes usually one microcurie of Americium 241, a radioactive material that emits 37,000 Alpha particles per second. These emissions create an electrical current across the detection chamber. An Alpha particle is the nucleus of the Helium atom, the second smallest atom there is. So we are talking of a bombardment of particles of the atomic size. In order for a particulate (including but not limited to fire created) to adequately interfere with the emissions and the current flow the particles entering the detection chamber also must be at or near the atomic range. Let’s say that a cloud of particles (smoke or otherwise) that would contain a billion of the super minute particles in a shot glass will do. The problem is that smoke created by a fire contains far larger particles, so large that smoke can reflect light, be seen and reduce visibility. The combustion particles within real (visible) smoke are far too large and far too few to cause the device to sound. However burning toast, an overheated roast and hot vapor from a shower will cause it to sound. Because the device will false alarm to non fire conditions, the people believe that it will detect real (visible) smoke. It won’t, but this has been the best kept secret of the fire community. The Sacramento area fire officials have been hiding this deadly defect of the so called smoke detector. They hide the truth because they do not want the public to realize that they are promoting an often deadly device. So, there are three ways that the phony smoke detector could have killed Jack Nye as explained below. 1. Assume the fire initiated as a flaming fire. A hot fire will create those super small combustion particles (so tiny as to be invisible). However, when the hot gases rise and hit the cold ceiling and dilute as they flow in all directions, the minute particles agglomerate (bind together like humid air forming rain drops as it rises and cools). When the combustion products finally reach the smoke detector they are too large and too few to cause the device to sound. A flaming fire in a home can become a virtual holocaust within five minutes, blocking exits and dropping a full grown in his tracks. When the
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early small fire has grown large enough and hot enough Jacks Nye’s “smoke” detector probably sounded. But it was too late. 2. Assume the fire started as a slow smoldering fire. A smoldering fire creates almost no heat. Cold smoke is very visible, it will in time drop visibility to near zero and if a potential victim is sleeping the carbon monoxide and other deadly gases will gradually increase. The sleeping person can become toxic gas (including CO) impaired without waking up. Real (visible) smoke created by a cold smoldering fire will fail to operate the ionization device. Therefore, a smoldering fire can smolder for an hour or two before it finally breaks out into flames. When the flaming occurs the ion device probably will finally sound. But, often it is too late to escape by then 3. Assume Nye removed the battery because the device may have been continually false alarming to non fires. It is not his fault that the battery had to be removed. The fault lies with those who gave him a device that is better at false alarming than at warning of a real fire. There are far superior smoke and fire detectors available that do not false alarm. For many years I have been notifying Sacramento area fire officials relative the on-going fire deaths being caused by phony and fraudulent smoke detectors. But it has been difficult to convince the media that the local fire officials were promoting phony smoke detectors. A few years ago I went to Australia at the request of some people over there who also were concerned regarding fire deaths within “smoke detector protected” buildings. I provide data and the history of the fraud. I suggested new fire tests be conducted. The tests again proved that the device in most our homes not only is flawed but a killer. It is a killer because it fails to warn and because it has been a deterrent to those fire detectors that do warn reliably. Finally, the Australian testing has been repeated in America. Videos of fire tests conducted in Vermont, Indiana and Tennessee are now available on the internet. Finally, the U.S. Appeals Court, Second Circuit, has confirmed that the device is defective and a cause of fire deaths. The bottom line is that so long as the defects of this phony smoke detector are covered-up, that’s how long people (and especially the pre-school kids) will be burned alive.
EVIL THRIVES WERE GOOD PEOPLE DO NOTHING
Further data and videos are available as shown below.
. www.Firecrusade.com ● www.WorldFireSafetyFoundation.org ● wwwAquariumTest.com www.StopTheChildrenBurning.com ● www.TheCanReport.org
www.wthr.com/global/Story.asp?s=7531263 www.newschannel5.com/Global/category.asp?C=115782 RICHARD M. PATTON, FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEER AUTHOR, THE AMERICAN HOME IS A FIRE TRAP President of: THE CRUSADE AGAINST FIRE DEATHS, INC. POST OFFICE BOX 196 CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA 95611 PHONE 916 721 7700
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The Sacramento Bee dated April 20, 2008 told the story of the Jack Nye, a 75 year old man in an apartment house in Carmichael. All apartment houses are required to have operating smoke detectors and, at least theoretically, the fire inspectors test them periodically. Presumably any smoke detector or any other type of Underwriters’ Laboratory tested and approved fire detector, will sound when any early fire first starts, at the incipient stage. When a fire is still small it is easy to snuff out or to escape. And, it should be noted that the type of smoke detector presently installed in at least 80 million U.S. homes (called an ionization type) was advertised as being so incredibly fast to warn that it would operate “before the smoke or flames could be seen”. Well, if that device warned Jack Nye before the smoke or flames became visible, why did he not terminate that pre-fire condition or at least leave the apartment warning others on the way out? The problem was that the performance claims were performance lies. The manufacturers/sellers lied about its performance capabilities, and even worse, UL engineers rigged and falsified fire tests to hide the failure modes of the device. Of course, if the truth had been told billions of them would not have sold. Here’s the basic problem with the smoke detector that caused Jack Nye’s death. The operation system includes usually one microcurie of Americium 241, a radioactive material that emits 37,000 Alpha particles per second. These emissions create an electrical current across the detection chamber. An Alpha particle is the nucleus of the Helium atom, the second smallest atom there is. So we are talking of a bombardment of particles of the atomic size. In order for a particulate (including but not limited to fire created) to adequately interfere with the emissions and the current flow the particles entering the detection chamber also must be at or near the atomic range. Let’s say that a cloud of particles (smoke or otherwise) that would contain a billion of the super minute particles in a shot glass will do. The problem is that smoke created by a fire contains far larger particles, so large that smoke can reflect light, be seen and reduce visibility. The combustion particles within real (visible) smoke are far too large and far too few to cause the device to sound. However burning toast, an overheated roast and hot vapor from a shower will cause it to sound. Because the device will false alarm to non fire conditions, the people believe that it will detect real (visible) smoke. It won’t, but this has been the best kept secret of the fire community. The Sacramento area fire officials have been hiding this deadly defect of the so called smoke detector. They hide the truth because they do not want the public to realize that they are promoting an often deadly device. So, there are three ways that the phony smoke detector could have killed Jack Nye as explained below. 1. Assume the fire initiated as a flaming fire. A hot fire will create those super small combustion particles (so tiny as to be invisible). However, when the hot gases rise and hit the cold ceiling and dilute as they flow in all directions, the minute particles agglomerate (bind together like humid air forming rain drops as it rises and cools). When the combustion products finally reach the smoke detector they are too large and too few to cause the device to sound. A flaming fire in a home can become a virtual holocaust within five minutes, blocking exits and dropping a full grown in his tracks. When the
Page
1
early small fire has grown large enough and hot enough Jacks Nye’s “smoke” detector probably sounded. But it was too late. 2. Assume the fire started as a slow smoldering fire. A smoldering fire creates almost no heat. Cold smoke is very visible, it will in time drop visibility to near zero and if a potential victim is sleeping the carbon monoxide and other deadly gases will gradually increase. The sleeping person can become toxic gas (including CO) impaired without waking up. Real (visible) smoke created by a cold smoldering fire will fail to operate the ionization device. Therefore, a smoldering fire can smolder for an hour or two before it finally breaks out into flames. When the flaming occurs the ion device probably will finally sound. But, often it is too late to escape by then 3. Assume Nye removed the battery because the device may have been continually false alarming to non fires. It is not his fault that the battery had to be removed. The fault lies with those who gave him a device that is better at false alarming than at warning of a real fire. There are far superior smoke and fire detectors available that do not false alarm. For many years I have been notifying Sacramento area fire officials relative the on-going fire deaths being caused by phony and fraudulent smoke detectors. But it has been difficult to convince the media that the local fire officials were promoting phony smoke detectors. A few years ago I went to Australia at the request of some people over there who also were concerned regarding fire deaths within “smoke detector protected” buildings. I provide data and the history of the fraud. I suggested new fire tests be conducted. The tests again proved that the device in most our homes not only is flawed but a killer. It is a killer because it fails to warn and because it has been a deterrent to those fire detectors that do warn reliably. Finally, the Australian testing has been repeated in America. Videos of fire tests conducted in Vermont, Indiana and Tennessee are now available on the internet. Finally, the U.S. Appeals Court, Second Circuit, has confirmed that the device is defective and a cause of fire deaths. The bottom line is that so long as the defects of this phony smoke detector are covered-up, that’s how long people (and especially the pre-school kids) will be burned alive.
EVIL THRIVES WERE GOOD PEOPLE DO NOTHING
Further data and videos are available as shown below.
. www.Firecrusade.com ● www.WorldFireSafetyFoundation.org ● wwwAquariumTest.com www.StopTheChildrenBurning.com ● www.TheCanReport.org
www.wthr.com/global/Story.asp?s=7531263 www.newschannel5.com/Global/category.asp?C=115782 RICHARD M. PATTON, FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEER AUTHOR, THE AMERICAN HOME IS A FIRE TRAP President of: THE CRUSADE AGAINST FIRE DEATHS, INC. POST OFFICE BOX 196 CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA 95611 PHONE 916 721 7700
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