SMOKE DETECTORS LAFE-SAVERS

Firefighters can't say the words often enough.

John Sachen, a training officer with the Delta Fire Protection District, said some aspects of modern homes promote the accumulation of smoke within the structure during a fire. Since most fire fatalities are from smoke inhalation, Sachen said smoke detectors are essential to prevent loss of life.

"If I had a manufactured home I would insist on having three smoke detectors," he said, especially one in the bedroom.

Sachen said modern homes are designed to be more air tight. They rely more on central heat and air conditioning than window ventilation, and are usually built with thicker glass in windows that don't break from extreme heat.

In addition, more plastics are used in furnishings and cushioning. Plastics are oil based and will flame quicker than natural substances such as cotton and wool.

"If you have an accidental fire involving cotton and wool in an overstuffed chair, it's more likely to take a considerable length of time for the fire to grow," Sachen said.

Cushioning made from hydrocarbons produce more heat per pound when ignited, and the fire grows more rapidly.

Modern manufactured homes have considerable advantages over mobile homes made 10 or 15 years ago, he said. A decade ago construction of mobile homes wasn't regulated as it is today. Essentially, the manufactured homes of that era were thin aluminum shells over a plywood frame that did nothing to slow the spread of fire, Sachen said.

With construction of mobile homes coming under regulation by the state, Sachen said there has been a vast improvement in the fire retarding materials used.

Regardless of those improvements, Sachen said smoke detectors should at least be placed in the kitchen and bedroom of all homes.

James "Butch" Amann, a fire investigator with the Missouri Division of Fire Safety, said the expanded use of smoke detectors over the last three decades has reduced the number of deaths from house fires.

He said state regulations require a smoke detector in manufactured homes to be inside bedrooms or within 10-feet of the bedroom doorway.

Amann said homeowners need to replace the batteries in their smoke detectors every six months.