My building's smoke alarm goes off once a week, often in the middle of the night. What makes it worse is that it's always a false alarm, so I typically lie in bed until it stops. I hope I get up in an actual fire.
Since every moment counts in a real fire, our alarms shouldn't condition people to ignore them. I've been in an actual fire once, and the extra time does help you navigate down the smoke-filled stairwells.
These false alarms happen because smoke detectors are susceptive to the slightest cooking mishap or shower steam.
I think that we can use CCTVs as a fire detection tool to separate false alarms from actual fires. Smoke from burnt food is clearly smaller than a couch set ablaze, and a camera should spot the difference. I think that this idea is moderately accessible because some people already have CCTV cameras for home security. Heck, you can even mount an old phone and use its camera.
We may not even need CCTVs to detect fires. Maybe we can also use the thermostat in your apartment to see if there has been a sudden and noticeable change in room temperature. I guess the point I'm trying to make is that we can determine if an actual fire is happening by using additional sensors. These additional sensors can also relay information about the fire to firefighters as they travel to the building. Providing this info could help them prepare for a response before they even arrive.
We can't blame anyone for the faulty fire alarms. It's just up to us to build smarter alarms in the years to come. With that, I hope that you enjoy your week!
- Curtis
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