In the video above is a presentation made by Dean Dennis whose family lost their daughter due to ionization alarms not waking occupants up in time during a smoldering smoke fire which also took the lives of 4 other students. Dean made this presentation to the CPSC over 4 years ago after gaining the CPSC attention by posting a petition on change.org demanding at the very least that the CPSC enforce  a mandatory warning label be placed on front of all ionization packaging. Dean Dennis also recommended the ban and recall of these dangerous devices yet the CPSC did not require a warning label or ban and recall these dangerous devices and these ionization alarms are still being sold.

Ionization "Smoke " Alarms have been sold and installed in most homes for about 50 years because of lower cost vs. Photoelectric technology and no warning label on package and were exposed in 1976 as dangerous due to the ionization technology does not wake occupants up in time in smoldering smoke, the most common condition when people are sleeping. The CPSC - Consumer Product Safety Commission was also made aware of the danger of ionization alarms decades ago yet failed to ban and recall these devices despite 100's of 1,000's of smoke inhalation deaths and burn injuries since 1976 after it was exposed the UL did not use any material that smoldered in the smoldering smoke test and currently still do not going on 4 years after a new UL 217 test standard was voted in, which will not take effect till May 29th 2020.

The UL - Underwriters Laboratories was eventually sued in 2010 for not disclosing the dangers of ionization alarms having approved these type alarms for sale for decades despite knowing the danger in a lawsuit Mercer Vs BRK ( First Alert ), a case in which 2 babies were severely burned and one died due to the ionization alarm did not activate in time to alert their parents. This was not the 1st lawsuit against smoke alarm manufactures nor the last and 100's of 1000's of people lost their lives and or were severely burned and 100's of millions of lives are still at risk due to these ionization alarms have not been banned and recalled since 1976 when these dangerous devices were exposed as a consumer fraud. In relation to how many death and injuries there have been very few lawsuits were filed due to very few people are aware of the danger of ionization alarms and not many consumers would ever suspect they would sell a smoke alarm that does not activate in smoldering smoke.

CPSC staff eventually participated in a task group to help develop the performance
requirements related to new smoldering and flaming tests for smoke alarms. It was not till September 18, 2015 UL 217 reached consensus on new performance
tests for smoke alarms using smoldering and flaming polyurethane foam and
nuisance resistance test. It was put up for vote and the 5 major smoke alarm manufactures voted no but were out voted by 31 Fire Chiefs and Fire Protection Engineers who votes yes. The test was supposed to be implemented within 3 years to give manufactures time to develop an alarm that would pass the new smoldering smoke UL 217 test standard however only Kidde had developed a new sensor type alarm recently and an extension was granted till May 29th 2020. 

The way in which the CPSC & UL went about revising  the new test standard decades after the fact without a ban and recall will still leave millions of people at risk for up to another 10 + years once new test is in effect on May 29th 2020 as consumers will not likely replace their ionization alarms till the 10 year sealed battery expiration date. Many people will likely still buy ionization alarms made in China on Amazon without being aware of the new test standard for years.  People will continue to die from smoke inhalation and be disfigured by fire every day without a ban and recall of these dangerous ionization alarms. Please sign and share this petition with as many people as possible so we can send a message to the UL and CPSC that we will not tolerate their gross negligence and negligent homicide any longer. 

For more information and your family safety sake see news videos and fire safety tips page at www.smokealarmsafety.org