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To: Tim Gladhill, Kurt Ulrich, Dean Kapler, and all other interested parties <br /> From: Michael Healy <br /> Re: Fire safety and Rental Properties <br /> According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), 96%of American homes had <br /> smoke alarms in 2010. However, 20%of homes with smoke alarms do not have even a single functioning <br /> smoke alarm. The leading cause of the devices being rendered nonfunctional is nuisance deactivations <br /> where the alarm was disabled because it was going off inappropriately and annoying the occupant. <br /> According to the NFPA, many of these nuisances are easily remedied by simply moving the alarms <br /> further away from stoves and other heat sources. Another option is for kitchens to be protected by <br /> photoelectric smoke alarms instead of ionization alarms since they respond to different stimuli and are <br /> less likely to raise false alarms with cooking heat. The NFPA reports that in cases where a home fire <br /> resulted in a death, 38%of the fatalities occurred in homes without alarms and 24%occurred in homes <br /> where at least one alarm was present but failed to operate. Fully two thirds of fire deaths occurred in <br /> houses that were not under the protection of smoke alarms. The NFPA further notes that smoke alarm <br /> failures usually result from missing, disconnected, or dead batteries. They also explain that smoke <br /> detectors are generally only reliable for about ten years and then should be replaced. It seems unlikely <br /> that the average renter would be interested in investing the time and money to ever upgrade the smoke <br /> detectors in a unit that they are renting. A renter would also probably be much more likely to simply <br /> disconnect a smoke alarm rather than attempt a more complex response to nuisance alarms such as <br /> moving the alarm (which would require installation) or changing to a different smoke detector <br /> technology. A case could be made that it would be in a city's best interest to at least occasionally <br /> perform inspections of rental properties with at least one of the goals being to ensure that landlords are <br /> being diligent to ensure that the smoke alarm systems are working properly. <br />