Siemens invents toast-friendly fire detector

Each year there are around 280,600 false fire alarm readings that result in the emergency services being called out. The new Sinteso fire detector can detect changes in temperature and see smoke particles in the air. Its built-in intelligence uses fuzzy logic, which enables computers to make more human-like decisions, to identify a real fire. This means that it has the ability to recognise smoke from non-threatening causes such as cooking fumes, burnt toast and cigarettes. Siemens is so confident in the new technology that it guarantees against false alarms – the only manufacturer in the world to do so.

Siemens fire safety manager Andrew Morgan said: “Today’s most common type of smoke alarms, which detect changes in an electrical current when smoke enters the chamber, were invented by a Siemens company in 1941 for industrial use. Nowadays they’re commonplace in the home.

"The Sinteso fire detector has initially been developed for businesses, such as hotels, restaurants, factories, hospitals and nursing homes, where there can be a lot of fumes and dust. The technology is so superior, though, that it will inevitably be introduced in domestic fire detectors for people’s homes in time.

“Firefighters are called out to hundreds of thousands of false alarms each year, many of which are triggered by everyday cooking fumes. This is why many people disable their alarms, particularly near kitchens, which creates additional danger,” said Morgan.

Because it’s guaranteed not to give false readings, the Sinteso detector has the ability to reduce the amount of public money and manpower that’s wasted every year by false alarms – a problem that’s on the increase. Since 1993 the number of false fire alarms triggered by non-threatening causes, such as burnt toast, has increased by 260%.

Correctly functioning smoke detectors give early warning to homeowners, often allowing them to put the fire out before the emergency services are called. However, in nearly a fifth of fires attended by firefighters in 2003, the smoke detector had either failed to operate, or had operated but failed to raise the alarm. In the same year 450 people died in house fires, half from smoke inhalation.

In many cases smoke detectors are deactivated by people who are fed up by them going off at inconvenient times, such as when they’re cooking. A common means of doing this is by removing the batteries. The primary reason for smoke alarm failures is missing or flat batteries, which account for 63% of all failures in battery-powered alarms . Often batteries aren’t replaced and the smoke detector remains ineffective.

Siemens’ Sinteso detector will be available in the UK in the New Year. Its recommended retail price has yet to be determined.