FOR FIREFIGHTERS

SMOKE ALARM WARNING!

Most People have the Wrong Smoke Alarms in their Home

There Are Two Smoke Alarm Technologies

Note: It's about the technology, not the power supply, i.e. battery or hard-wired.

No Radioactive Material

Few False Alarms

No Law Suits

PHOTOELECTRIC/OPTICAL

Most Commercial Buildings

EFFECTIVE | SAFE

Contains Radioactive Material

Excessive False Alarms

Numerous Law Suits

IONIZATION

Most Homes

DEFECTIVE | DEADLY

Scientific Testing to the Australian & U.S. Governments Flawed Standards

Is the smoke alarm capable of detecting smoke in the early, smoldering stage of fire?

YES: Flaming Stage of Fire

YES: Early, Smoldering Stage of Fire

YES: Flaming Stage of Fire

NO: Early, Smoldering Stage of Fire

1976

Report: 'The Smoke Detector Fraud'

"One of the cleverest and most lucrative cons ever pulled off in
  America has been executed by some of the smoke detector promoters."

R.M. Patton FPE, Ohio, USA | Report: 'The Smoke Detector Fraud' | 1976 | Page 1, Para 1

Richard M Patton FPE

Fire Protection Engineer, Author

International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)
'Residential Smoke Alarm Report' | Sept, 1980 | Page 1, Para 8

1980

"In fact, they (ionization alarms) might be so slow to..
activate in a smoldering fire that lives may be in danger."

International Association

of Fire Chiefs (USA)

"That all residential accommodation be fitted with photoelectric
  smoke alarms.
Ionization smoke alarms may not operate in time
  to alert occupants early enough to escape from smoldering fires."

 
Australasian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC)  | 'Position on Smoke Alarms
  in Residential Accommodation' | 1 June 2006 | Page 3, Clause 3

2006

"Ionization smoke alarms may not operate in time to alert
.occupants early enough to escape from smoldering fires."

Australasian Fire

Authorities Council

Chief Jay Fleming
Boston Fire Dept, MA, USA
Smoke Alarm World Expert

Deputy Chief Fleming's letter to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA)

Extracted from the WFSF's 'C.A.N. Report', page 6  |  Feb 2007

"I've often been cautioned that I should be quiet "because we do not want the.. the public to lose faith in smoke detectors." This statement implies lives will..
be lost if we tell the public the truth. I think the exact opposite is true..
How many lives have been lost because the public was not told the truth?”

2006

"How many lives have been lost because..
the public was not told the truth?"

"We have five million smoke detectors in this state, that are
ionization smoke detectors, that may fail in the time of need.

 

2007

". . .ionization smoke detectors may fail in the time of need."

Indiana’s SFM, Roger Johnson after an Indianapolis Fire Department
‘Aquarium Test’   | Indianapolis, Indiana, USA | September 2007

SFM Roger Johnson (ret.)

Indiana State Fire Marshal

Harold A Schaitberger, General President | International

Association of Firefighters, U.S.A. | 29 Oct, 2008

"Using better (photoelectric) smoke alarms drastically..
reduce loss of life among citizens and firefighters."

2008

International Association

of Firefighters (USA)

2011

"It's about banning the ionization technology. . ."

"This is not about recommending one over the other. . . It's about banning
the ionization technology and only having the photoelectric technology."

Chief Marc McGinn  | Channel 7 News | NSW, Australia | 11 July 2011

Chief Marc McGinn (ret.)
Albany Fire Dept, CA, USA
Extract: '
California Makes A Stand'

"If I get an alert, I get woken up and I want to find my way to..

 the exit, I have got to be able to see the exit. At 50 to 60%..

 obscuration, if an ion did go off, then you are not..

going to see it. Again, it is not fit for purpose."

2015

"Again, it (the ionization alarm) is not fit for purpose."

Mr Chris Orr

Technical Director | Fire

Protection Association Australia

Chris Orr, Technical Director, FPAA | Australian Senate Smoke Alarm Inquiry

Canberra, Australia | 4 Dec 2015 | Hansard - Page 14, Para 3

"People have said that one is good for flaming fires (ionization) and one is

  good for smoldering (photoelectric). In my experience as a firefighter just

  about every fire I have ever been to started as a smoldering fire and went

  through a stage until it became a flaming fire. To say that they are equal
  and good for different circumstances is to me a fallacy . . . an absolute myth."

2015

To say that they are equal and good for different circumstances is to me a fallacy . . . an absolute myth."

Commissioner Greg Mullins
Commissioner FRNSW (ret.)

President AFAC (ret.)

Commissioner Greg Mullins | Australian Senate Smoke Alarm Inquiry

Canberra, Australia | 4 Dec 2015 | Hansard - Page 4, Paragraph 8

Statement by Dr Paul Smith, Head of Testing, Consumer New Zealand
'Radio New Zealand National Interview' | 5 May 2018

The stunning story behind New Zealand's nationwide, photoelectric legislation

"Photoelectric in a nutshell is the technology that you want..
to go for and ionization is the one you want to avoid."

2018

"...ionization is the one you want to avoid."

Dr Paul Smith

Head of Testing

Consumer New Zealand

H E R E > > >

2019

". . .the situation in Australia is identical to that in the U.S."

Dr Vyto Babrauskas
Fire Protection Engineer

New York, NY, USA

"I note that, for the Australian context, Mr Greg Mullins, as Commissioner
of FRNSW, provided the following testimony (see Commissioner Greg

 Mullin's  testimony above). Thus, I consider that the situation in
Australia is found to be identical to that in the United States."

  Extract from Dr Babrauskas's, 'Peer Review of FRNSW Smoke Alarm Studies'

  30 October 2019 | Page 4, Paragraph 3

 

NEWS UPDATE

World Fire Safety Foundation Open Letter

OPEN LETTER

27 July 2021

 

THE ALARMING TRUTH

 

Thank you for taking the time to visit our website.

We've just finished the story of our twenty plus year battle to expose The Alarming Truth about the deadly ionization type of smoke alarms.

A Special Duty of Care

Regulatory, standards and fire safety organizations have a Special Duty of Care to warn the public and our firefighters of the life-threatening danger with ionization alarms. Due to a lack of knowledge and/or for legal and political reasons, most have failed to do so.

Discover the truth for yourself and please help us spread this life-saving message.

 

Thank you.

Sincerely,

 

Adrian Butler & Karl Westwell

Co-Founders

World Fire Safety Foundation

Adrian Butler

Former Full Time Firefighter

Chairman, Co-Founder

Karl Westwell

Director of Research

Co-Founder

World Fire Safety Foundation

15 Kurara Court, Narangba, Queensland 4504, AUSTRALIA

Founded: March 2000  |  Self (privately) Funded - Does Not Sell Anything, Solicit or Accept Donations  |  Mission: Stop The Children Burning

The Aquarium Test - See For Yourself

Why Ionization 'Smoke' Alarms Must Be Banned

They Detect Invisible/Sub-Micron Particles - Not Visible Smoke

They can go off when cooking but fail in the early, smoldering stage of fires

 

Eyewitness News 'Deadly Delay' Investigation | Part 4 of 12

WTHR Channel 13  |  Indianapolis, IN, USA  |  July 2007 - 6 Minutes

Bob Segall

Award-Winning Investigative Reporter

Roger Johnson
Former State Fire
Marshal, Indiana, USA

". . .we have five million
smoke detectors in this
state that are ionization
smoke detectors that may
fail in the time of need."

State Fire Marshal Issues Urgent Warning

Former AFAC President & FRNSW Commissioner, Greg Mullins
Repeatedly Warned "Ionization Alarms Should be Banned"

Former NSW Fire Commissioner* Greg Mullins
Wants Ionization Smoke Alarms to be Banned

NSW Edition  |  Channel 7 News  |  12 Jan 2016 - 106 seconds

0:00 “The Fire Commissioner* says Australia’s most common (ionization) smoke alarm should
           be banned. Other experts claiming the flawed alarms have failed to save thousands of lives.”

*After 39 years of service, FRNSW Commissioner and AFAC President Greg Mullins retired in 2017.

QLD Edition  |  Channel 7 News  |  12 Jan 2016 - 107 seconds

0:00 "Concerns continue to grow over ionization smoke alarms with the New South Wales Fire
           Commissioner now calling for them to be banned. Prominent chef Matt Golinski lost his wife
           and three children in a fire despite their Tewantin home being fitted with the (ionization) alarms."

Commissioner Mullins Testifies at
Australian Senate Smoke Alarm Inquiry

Channel 10 News  |  Dec 2015 - 107 seconds

0:33 “The research that Commissioner Mullins has spoken about quite definitively says
           that a photoelectric smoke alarm is better."

Adam Dalrymple, Director Fire Safety, MFS, Melbourne, Australia | Smoke Alarm Senate Hearing | Dec 2015

0:54  “Photoelectric detectors sense smoldering fires on average 30 minutes earlier than ionization. . .”

David Isaac, Australia's leading fire safety expert | Standard Australia FP002 Committee Member | Dec 2015

AUSTRALIAN SENATE SMOKE ALARM INQUIRY

Testimony & Submissions

Second Hearing - Parliament House, Canberra, ACT  |  4 December 2015

"Again, it (the ionization alarm) is not fit for purpose."

Chris Orr, Technical Director, Fire Protection Association Australia

Mr Chris Orr, Technical Director

Fire Protection Association Australia

David Isaac's Testimony > > >

". . .no manufacturer wants  to admit there is any..
performance problem with ionization smoke alarms."

David Isaac, Fire & Safety Technologies  |  Australia's leading fire safety expert | Standards Australia Committee FP002 | (FP002 oversees Australia's smoke alarm standard)

David Isaac, Standards Australia Committee FP002

David Isaac, Standards Australia Committee

"...ionization alarms should be banned. . . The standard itself is flawed."

Greg Mullins, Commissioner FRNSW  |  President AFAC

*In 2018, after 39 years of service, Commissioner Mullins retired.
*The Australasian Fire & Emergency Service Authorities Council (AFAC) is the peak
  representative body for all Australian & New Zealand fire departments.

Greg Mullins, Commissioner, FRNSW  | President, AFAC

". . . ionization alarms should be banned .  .  .  the standard itself is flawed."

Greg Mullins | Commissioner, FRNSW* | President, AFAC*

Commissioner Mullin's Testimony > > >

Commissioner Mullins, President AFAC

Rebecca Le Tourneau - Producer, 60 Minutes Australia

"Industry Politics which are wasting time and risking more lives . . .
Ensure the Australian  Building Codes Board takes it head out of the
sand and mandates interconnected  photoelectric smoke alarms
across Australia before the next family fire takes its next family."

60 Minutes' Submission > > >

Rebecca Le Tourneau, Producer, 60 Minutes Australia - 'The Alarming Truth' (see film above)

Rebecca Le Tourneau

Producer, 60 Minutes

4 August 2020

"We think Ionization alarms should not be sold..."

Dr Paul Smith, Head of Testing, Consumer N.Z.

Former Commissioner Greg Mullins, FRNSW, NSW, Australia

Chief Marc McGinn, Albany, CA, U.S.A.

Dr Paul Smith

New Zealand

Australia

U.S.A.

"Ionization smoke alarms should be banned."

"I call for the immediate removal of the fraudulent,.
deadly, ionization so-called smoke alarm."

Commissioner
Greg Mullins

THE ALARMING TRUTH

How the Deadly Defect With Ionization alarms
Has Been Kept from the Public and our Fire Fighters

M O R E > > >

9 July 2018

M O R E > > >

WFSF Takes CSIRO to Court. . .

 

. . .over Australian Standards scientific test data proving Ionization
alarms are unsafe, in three year, Freedom of Information Act battle.

March 2017

M O R E > > >

Are Your Smoke Alarms Safe?

Former Firefighter Calls for Ban on Ionization Alarms

Adrian Butler
Chairman, WFSF

Sept 2015 ~ Jan 2017

Queensland's Photoelectric-Only

Smoke Alarm Legislation

". . .  ionization . . .  we want these banned . . ."

M O R E > > >

Louie Naumovski
Founder, Logan House

Fire Support Network

Help Save Lives - Like Us On Facebook

M O R E > > >

See more than 80 news reports (from the 'Video' section of the WFSF'S Facebook page)
showing how fire departments across the U.S., Australia and New Zealand have
discovered the life-threatening defects with ionization smoke alarms.

"The world is a dangerous

  place to live; not because

  of the people who are evil,

  but because of the people

  who do nothing about it."

Albert Einstein

"Ignorance, allied with..
power, is the most.. ferocious enemy..
 justice can have."

James A Baldwin

"The only thing..

necessary for the.. triumph of evil is that..

good men do nothing."

Edmund Burke