Almost two thirds of reported home fire deaths resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or with no working smoke alarms.

Smoke detectors are some of the most basic devices that we use to keep our families safe.

We attempted to see if one of our KSFY families had adequate smoke detector coverage in their home and while we were at it we found out information that you need to know about your smoke detector.

The Allen's were kind enough to allow us into their home to do the inspection. We also recieved help from Fire Marshall Perry Volden with Sioux Falls Fire Rescue. We started the inspection in the kitchen where the majority of residential fires start. While there was enough protection, Perry noted on minor detail.

"It requires locating a smoke detector a minimum of 20 feet away from a cooking surface" said Volden.

Ok, one minor flaw that probably wouldn't cause a big problem, but Perry and I started talking a bit about the type of smoke detectors, yes, there are different types. One is a photoelectric and the other is an ionization.

Volden explained on this by saying: "each detector, whether it be a photoelectric or an ionization, has its specific characteristics."

Perry explained that an ionization smoke detector does a better job of sensing free flaming fires, like ones that would be in a kitchen. Contrary to that, a photoelectric smoke detector does a better job with smoldering fires, which would be similar to fires that start with cigarettes in a couch.

So there's really only one way to increase your fire protection.

"We would highly encourage people to mix them and you can buy dual sensor detectors or alarms" stated Volden.

Now to the most important part of the house, the bedrooms. Each bedroom had a smoke detector and there was one in the hallway, just like it is supposed to be. The smoke detector was even the proper distance from the bathroom, which is more important than you might think. By locating the smoke detector down the hall from the door to the bathroom, the amount of false alarms are greatly reduced.

The kitchen and the bedrooms are the most important, but we checked the rest of the house. After the inspection I asked Perry the straight forward question.

"Derick: So you would say this house is well protected?.. Perry: you bet... this house meets all the current codes"

Even though the setup of the house is correct, any home owner needs to spend some time taking care of their smoke detector. Some general cleaning is good, just to get the dust out. Also, replacing the batteries and testing the device is important.