Longtime firefighter looks to save lives installing interconnected smoke alarms

Interconnected smoke detectors serve as cheap, but very effective fire insurance says Ed Pfeiffer, a longtime firefighter and fire marshal, who with his grandsons has begun a business solely for the sale and installation of interconnected smoke detectors.
“We are taking the guesswork out of selecting detectors to upgrade the fire safety of a home. Smoke must have a direct path to a detector, otherwise smoke that goes undetected will develop into a fire. Everyone must know there is smoke in the house at the earliest possible moment,” said Pfeiffer, who calls himself a senior fire-preventer.
“We are assisting do-it-yourselfers and recruiting firefighters, as independent contractors, who would like to install detectors as part of this effort. Our focus is ‘interconnected’ detectors, just like a new home. Many people are unaware of the ‘wireless’ smoke detector technology. It allows the equivalent of a hardwired system without the wires.”
Pfeiffer’s business, FirefightersPreventingFires, sells only interconnected detectors, those with 10-year battery life, as well as hardwired replacement detectors and “bridge” detectors that allow an existing hardwired system to be expanded wirelessly. Most homes older than 20 years need wireless detectors, he said.
The cost for 10-year battery wireless interconnected smoke detectors is $46.50 each, tax included. For an average home, with three bedrooms, he said, the cost would be $279, for detectors in each bedroom, outside the bedrooms and in the basement and garage. By installing smoke detectors in these rooms, your home meets the requirements of the International Residential Building Code.
When any detector senses smoke, they all make noise. Detectors with the “interconnection” feature insures you will hear the alarm no matter where you are in your home. They also insure that since smoke doesn’t penetrate a door, wall or ceiling, smoke is detected quickly.

The detectors have batteries that are warranted for 10 years and help prevent fire, devastation and loss of life. Over their life, they cost far less than fire insurance premiums ($1,000 a year for a $300,000 house), which pays to replace the structure and contents.
Spread over the 10-year life of the interconnected detectors, the annual cost of this “pre-fire” insurance is $27.90 per year ($279 divided by 10 years) or 2.8% of the “post fire” insurance for a three-bedroom house, Pfeiffer said.
Interconnected smoke detectors are a form of fire and life insurance as they provide the opportunity to prevent the fire from happening. Not only sounding the earliest alarm if there is smoke in the house, but providing time for the occupants to act to prevent the smoke from developing into a fire – by unplugging an appliance, using a fire extinguisher, calling the fire department, etc.
Knowing there is smoke in your house at the earliest possible moment is fundamental to avoiding the risks of a fire. This is especially true when you are asleep. Without the “interconnection” feature, you can’t possibly hear the garage or basement detector from your bedroom.
Nationally, he said, 84% of the people who die in a fire, die in their own home. Most of these fatalities occur at night.
Pfeiffer has been a member of the Hartsville Fire Co. for 53 years, served as fire chief for 16 years and served 25 years as the Warwick Township fire marshal. He is currently president of Hartsville.

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