National Smoke Alarm and CO Alarm Survey

Arthur Lee U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission,

Bethesda, MD United States

Status Update November 2017

The views expressed in this presentation are those of the CPSC staff and have not been reviewed or approved by, and may not

necessarily reflect the views of, the Commission.

Overall Project Details

• Project launched in FY 2016 with funding for 450 in-home surveys

• Anticipate 1,100 to 1,300 homes to be surveyed– Funding sponsors CPSC, USFA, NFPA, NEMA, and NIST

• Contractor EurekaFacts (Rockville, MD)• Main survey in 2018• Initial findings late 2018• Report in 2019

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Project Objective

• Provide accurate information to the industry and building code developers about the current state of alarm coverage to determine what changes are needed to existing products and codes.

• Provide life safety educators and advocates with current information to target messaging and prevention programs.

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The National Survey is intended to get a snapshot of consumer use and understanding of consumer perception

Background

• In-home surveys expected to be more accurate than current information on smoke alarm usage, which is based on telephone surveys and reported performance in fires.

• There is no current information on CO alarm usage in the United States.

• The last and only in-home smoke alarm survey was conducted by CPSC in 1992 (Smoke Detector Operability Survey Report on Findings (revised) October 1994).

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NFPA Annual Report Smoke Alarms in U.S. Home Fires

• The NFPA report is a compilation of information from various sources to give a snapshot of smoke alarm use in the United States.

• The NFPA report states: The CPSC’s 1992 National Smoke Detector Project sent field investigators into homes. This study is the gold standard for smoke alarm research. The most complete study of smoke alarm presence and operational status in the general population was done by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC’s) National Smoke Detector Project in 1992 …Although dated, the CPSC study provides the best picture of smoke alarm usage in the general population.

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Smoke Alarm Summit by Vision 20/20• On March 31, 2015, 59 participants representing stakeholder

groups, such as the fire service, academia, government, non-profit and private sector organizations, convened for a 1-day Smoke Alarm Summit at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

• The top action item identified at the Smoke Alarm Summit was “Conduct a national census (or representative sample in-home survey) on the prevalence and characteristics of smoke alarms.”

• One of the main aspects identified for the survey was “Survey must get into people’s homes.” This method provides more accurate information than can be obtained through phone surveys.

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Telephone Surveys vs In-Home Surveys

• The most recent usage surveys were telephone surveys in 2008 and 2010, conducted for NFPA by Harris, and by CPSC in 2004-2005.

• The recent studies of smoke alarm or CO-alarm presence have generally either relied on self-reports (via telephone or Internet) or have been part of programs targeting high-risk populations.

• According to the NFPA report, phone surveys can have a higher degree of error because survey respondents may be telling the interviewer what the respondents believe is the most socially appropriate response or guess at an answer.

• By far, home visits by trained data collectors with inspection and testing provide much better quality data.

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• Rooms in homes being used as sleeping areas that do not have smoke or CO alarms

• Functionality of smoke and CO alarms• Cause for failed smoke or CO alarms• Location of each smoke and CO alarm in the home • Type of smoke and CO alarms • Age of smoke and CO alarms• Occupancy information and its relationship to the

presence and operational aspects of smoke and CO alarms

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New Information to Be Learned

2018 National Smoke and CO Alarm Survey

• Consists of a representative random sample of metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas based on United States zip codes.

• Survey sample to include approximately 84% of housing units within metropolitan areas and 16% outside.

• Includes topics from the 1992 CPSC survey report, as well as additional questions that target CO alarm use patterns and operability.

• Will quantify the number and type of alarms in use.• Will examine the types of housing relative to alarm operability

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CPSC staff and other stakeholders are working together to sponsor a new survey in 2018.

2018 National Smoke and CO Alarm Survey

• Will collect information on consumer hazard awareness and consumer behavior.

• Will evaluate factors for failed alarms.• Any non-functional alarms will be collected and replaced with

new alarms. • The collected alarms will be evaluated in the lab to determine

the cause of the alarm not operating.

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Interviewing Tools

• Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) and Computer Assisted Personal Interview (CAPI)– Data collection and recording through field tablets– The survey questions and interviewers’ script will be

consistent– Automated to reduce the risk of administering non-

applicable questions to the participants. – Reduces errors or inconsistencies– Hard-copy version is included for the interviewer in

the event field tablets are unavailable.

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Fielding Preparation Phase

• Training of Telephone and Field Interviewers– A project-specific training will be implemented for

interviewers, and for all personnel involved in the recruiting, scheduling and data collection and coordination process.

– The training will include interview manuals, demonstration of an interview, and scripted role playing.

– Interviewers will receive training regarding expectations of and processes for reporting of data.

– The personnel will be trained on the procedure of the alarm testing, collection, and replacement

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Fielding Preparation Phase

• Pilot Testing the Instrument– Sample size of 50– Identify any risks to the data quality and inefficiencies

in the data-collection procedures – Identify any issues that might arise within survey

procedures. – Evaluate the overall process of data collection,

including: initially contacting the respondent, scheduling the interview, introduction, survey administration, evaluating the smoke and CO alarms, and concluding the interview.

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Survey Fielding Goal

• Visit homes and inquire about the state of residents’ smoke and CO alarms.

• Respondents with no smoke alarms, or smoke alarms attached to a central alarm system, will be interviewed by phone to collect information on perceptions of fire and CO safety and demographic information.

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Survey Prenotification Letter

• Increases survey response rates and minimizes time and costs associated with refusals, provides credibility to our survey effort and encourages respondents’ cooperation.

• The letter will be mailed in advance of the survey fielding. • The letter will explain

– purpose of the study, – who is sponsoring it, – details on how their responses and PII will be kept secure,

and– the importance of the research effort.

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Survey Prenotification Letter

• Sampled households that do not have a telephone number listed, and did not respond to the initial letter, will receive a second follow-up letter inviting them to participate in the survey.

• Both initial letter and second follow-up letter will provide options to respond via telephone or online form to express interest in research participation.

• The prenotification letter also informs about the telephone follow up call.

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Telephone Follow-Up/Survey

• Telephone follow-up call about 1 to 2 weeks after respondents have received their prenotification letter.

• Trained interviewers will discuss the study in more depth, and take the potential respondent through a screening process to assess their eligibility.

• Eligible participants are anyone over 18 years old and who are considered one of the heads of the household.

• If the respondent is eligible, the screener will inquire about the presence of a smoke alarm, and whether the household has one installed.

• Eligible participants will receive a gift card during the in-home survey for participating.

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Telephone Follow-Up/Survey

• If the respondent does not have a smoke alarm or it is connected to a central or security system, – phone survey– perceptions and experience with fire and CO safety– demographic information– offer to send them a gift card that can be used to purchase

a smoke alarm. • If the respondent is eligible for the in-home survey,

– collect additional information on the type of residence– collect building contact information for apartment

buildings or condominiums– schedule an in-home interview.

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In-Home Visitation Data Collection

• Survey Team– Two specialists are required: a trained alarm specialist

and a survey professional.– The survey professional’s responsibilities will include:

administering the survey’s questions requiring a response from the occupants, and recording and capturing the alarm test data.

– The alarm specialist’s responsibilities will include: testing the smoke and CO alarms, documenting their locations, removing and replacing collected alarms.

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In-Home Survey

• Initial Questions– Reason for participant’s refusal?– Presence of smoke and CO alarms?– Prior fire or CO incidents involving fire services?– Perception of level of safety with smoke or CO alarms?– Rent or own the home?– Length at residence?– Age of home?– Attached garage and use?

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In-Home Survey

• Smoke Alarms– Frequency of testing– Reason for not testing– Familiarity with testing– Knowledge of working smoke alarms in the home– Knowledge of reason for non-working alarms– Reason for disconnected or unpowered alarms– Knowledge about installing, maintaining, and

when to replace smoke alarms

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In-Home Survey

• Fire History– Accidental fires in the past 12 months?– How were you alerted to the incident?– Did any of the smoke alarms sound?– Have alarms gone off when there was no fire?

• Reason for nuisance alarms

• CO History– CO alarm sounding in the past 12 months?– How did you react to the CO alarm sounding?

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In-Home Survey

• CO Alarm– Knowledge of effects of levels of carbon monoxide (CO)– Familiarity with CO alarms– Frequency of testing– Reason for not testing– Knowledge of working CO alarms in the home– Knowledge of why their CO alarm is not working– Reason for disconnected or unpowered alarms– Reason to own a CO alarm– Knowledge about installing, maintaining, and replacing CO

alarm

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In-Home Survey

• Documenting the Alarms– Smoke and CO alarms in the type of room and

floor– Photograph each alarm– Distance from closest smoke alarm to stove or

cooktop

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In-Home Survey

• Documenting Each Alarm– Type of sensor(s)– Power source– Manufacture date– Model number– Interconnected– Connected to central panel or security system– Strobe and/or tactile – Status of battery (dead, missing, none)– Age of the alarm by appearance

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In-Home Survey

• Testing Alarms– Test button and aerosol test for smoke alarms.– Test button for CO alarms.– Replace or restore power to the alarm and repeat test.– Collect failed alarms.– Replace and/or install new alarms.

• Homes with No Smoke or CO Alarms– How necessary do you feel it is to have an alarm

installed in your home?– Reasons you don’t have a smoke alarm installed in your

home?

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In-Home Survey

• Post-inspection – After we contacted you to arrange for this visit, did

you buy any additional alarms, or replace any batteries in your alarms?

– In the past 12 months, have you sought out any information about fire and carbon monoxide safety?

– Where do you obtain information about fire and carbon monoxide safety?

– How often do you or another member of the household cook at home?

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In-Home or Phone Survey

• Demographics– How many people live or stay in your household? – Ages of each individual?– Level of education?– Ethnicity?– Hispanic or Latino origin or descent?– Deaf or hard of hearing?– Physical, mental, or other health condition?– Smoke cigarettes, cigars, or pipes ?– Annual income?

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Next Steps• Update the questionnaire from Cognitive

testing• Finalize the OMB package for the full study

and submit for approval• Conduct pilot testing with 50 in-home surveys• Begin main survey in Spring 2018

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Thank You!&

Questions?

Arthur Lee U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Bethesda, MD

This document was written by Arthur Lee, (ESEF), of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Since it was written by Mr. Lee his official capacity, it is in

the public domain and may be freely copied or reprinted.

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