Skip to main content

CPSC Warns the Smoke Detectors in About 16 Million Homes Do Not Work

Release Date: October 21, 1997

Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, October 26, so most of the country will gain an hour when we turn our clocks back. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) suggests consumers spend part of this extra time testing to ensure that their smoke detectors work properly.

Fire is the second leading cause of accidental death in the home. Each year, more than 3,500 people die in home fires, and there are more than 400,000 residential fires serious enough to be reported to fire departments.

About 90 percent of U.S. households have smoke detectors installed. However, a 1992 CPSC survey shows that the smoke detectors in 20 percent of those households -- about 16 million -- were not working, mostly because the battery was dead or missing.

"Smoke detectors can save lives, but they won't work if they are not maintained," said CPSC Chairman Ann Brown. "They should be tested monthly, and the batteries should be replaced at least once a year or when they make a 'chirping' sound."

Long-life smoke detectors with 10-year batteries have been available to consumers since 1995. These long-life detectors also should be tested monthly.

CPSC recommends consumers place a smoke detector that meets the requirements of Underwriters Laboratories' (UL) standard outside their bedrooms and on each level of multi- story homes.

For more tips on fire safety, explore CPSC's web site at: https://www.cpsc.gov.

Release Number
98-015

About the U.S. CPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risk of injury or death associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product-related incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products has contributed to a decline in the rate of injuries associated with consumer products over the past 50 years. 

Federal law prohibits any person from selling products subject to a Commission ordered recall or a voluntary recall undertaken in consultation with the CPSC.

For lifesaving information:

Media Contact

Please use the below phone number for all media requests.

Phone: (301) 504-7908
Spanish: (301) 504-7800

View CPSC contacts for specific areas of expertise

Report an unsafe product