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Smoke detector legislation: its effect on owner-occupied homes
American Journal of Public Health
|August 1, 1985
Summary
Montgomery County, Maryland’s smoke detector law led to fewer homes without working detectors compared to Fairfax County, Virginia. This suggests that even unenforced laws can improve home safety when aligned with community values.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Fire Safety Engineering
- Sociology
Background:
- Montgomery County, Maryland, pioneered a law mandating smoke detectors in all residences.
- Five years post-implementation, smoke detector coverage was assessed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of the smoke detector law in Montgomery County.
- To compare smoke detector coverage in Montgomery County with Fairfax County, Virginia, which lacks such a law.
Main Methods:
- A survey of 651 randomly selected owner-occupied homes in both counties.
- Firefighters tested smoke detectors in surveyed homes.
- Analysis of 12 years of fire data.
Main Results:
- Similar compliance rates with detector codes (42% vs 44%) were observed.
- Montgomery County had significantly fewer homes with no working detectors (17% vs 30%) and no detectors at all (6% vs 16%).
- Homes with new construction or owner belief in legal requirements were more likely to have working detectors.
Conclusions:
- Montgomery County's law, though largely unenforced, increased working smoke detector prevalence.
- Compliance was driven by residents' perception of the law aligning with community values.
- Increased smoke detector coverage correlates with reduced residential fire death risk.