If you live in Illinois, you need an updated smoke detector by Jan. 1. Here’s why
A smoke detector battery law the Illinois legislature passed in 2017 will take effect Jan. 1. It will require residents to replace their smoke detectors with alarms that have 10-year sealed batteries by New Year’s Day.
Illinois Fire Safety Alliance officials announced in a Dec. 14 statement safety experts gathered in O’Fallon to promote awareness of the new requirement.
There were 97 residential fire deaths in the state in 2021, Illinois Fire Safety Alliance and IL Firefighters Association Government Affairs Director Margaret Vaughn said in the statement, and nearly 70% of fire deaths occur in homes without functioning smoke detectors.
“To have the technology readily available to save lives and prevent injuries and yet not use it, is something that needed to change,” Vaughn said. “We worked with the General Assembly to pass a law, which will require Illinois residents to replace their old smoke alarms with the type that has a long-term 10-year sealed battery by January 1st. This would apply to residents that are still using alarms with removable batteries or alarms that are not hardwired.”
The Illinois Smoke Detector Act has required all dwellings to have smoke detectors since 1988.
“Homes built starting in 1988 had to have hardwired smoke alarms and any dwelling built before then, could use alarms that were just battery operated,” Vaughn continued. “So, the new requirement simply updates a law that has already been on the books for 30 years, to reflect the changes in new technology, while making it easier and more cost effective for Illinois residents to comply. This new law would apply mostly to homes built prior to 1988.”
More than 80 Illinois home fire fatalities have been reported so far in 2022, the U.S. Fire Administration reports.
“Nothing is more heartbreaking to respond to a fatal fire and find non-working smoke alarms in the home. While the number of fire deaths may have decreased in the past few decades, you are more likely to die in a residential fire than you were years ago,” O’Fallon Fire Rescue Chief Brad White said. “This is because the majority of these deaths are caused by smoke inhalation and not burns, which is why escape time (is) so critical. The toxic gases that are emitted from the synthetic material in modern homes, as opposed to the more natural woods and fibers that were used in the past, contribute to this problem and flashover is occurring in as little as 3 minutes as opposed to almost 30 minutes a generation ago.”
Illinois Fire Safety Alliance Executive Director Phil Zaleski said in the statement the 10-year battery will save residents between $40 to $60 in battery costs over the alarm’s lifespan. The longterm battery will automatically alert residents when the alarm needs to be replaced.
“While many people deactivate their older model smoke alarms or remove the batteries while cooking, the 10-year model is not a cooking nuisance and has a 15-minute silencer button,” Zaleski added. “They are also very affordable with the current retail price being about $15 and as low as $10 if you buy them in bulk. To avoid ‘false alarms’, smoke alarms should not be placed within 15 feet of a stove or within 3 feet of bathrooms because of the humidity.”
The Illinois Fire Safety Alliance and Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal are administering a joint program called “Be Alarmed!” to educate residents about fire safety and installing free, 10-year battery alarms in at-risk homes.
O’Fallon Fire Rescue officials have installed almost 200 longterm battery smoke alarms in local homes through the program, Zaleski said.
More information about smoke alarms and fire safety is available online in Illinois.
