Fireproof Your Home

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Wirecutter Show – "Fireproof Your Home"

Release Date: December 18, 2024

Introduction

In the episode titled "Fireproof Your Home," The Wirecutter Show delves deep into the essential aspects of home fire safety. Host Christine Cyr Clisset, co-host Kyra Blackwell, and producer Rosie Guerin engage listeners with expert insights from Doug Mahoney, Wirecutter's senior staff writer specializing in fire safety. The discussion emphasizes the heightened risks of house fires during the colder months, particularly due to holiday decorations, candles, and the increased use of synthetic materials in home furnishings.

Personal Stories and Concerns about Fire Safety

The episode opens with Rosie Guerin sharing her excitement about using her fireplace for cozy winter evenings, only to be playfully warned by co-host Kyra Blackwell about potential fire hazards. Kyra recounts a personal anecdote:

"I just remember distinctly setting my parents' living room rug on fire because I was making s'mores in the fireplace and I was having too much fun setting the marshmallows on fire and it just went up in flames." (06:00)

This lighthearted introduction sets the stage for a more serious exploration of fire safety concerns.

Guest Introduction: Doug Mahoney

Doug Mahoney joins the conversation, bringing a wealth of experience from his background in construction and his role at Wirecutter. He highlights his expertise in testing smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, and fire ladders, making him the perfect guide for navigating the complexities of home fire safety.

Fire Risks in Modern Homes

Doug Mahoney underscores the evolving nature of fire risks in contemporary homes:

"Homes nowadays are burning faster than ever due to synthetic materials... escape time has gone from approximately 17 minutes to about three minutes or less." (06:51)

He elaborates on how synthetic furnishings, such as those from IKEA or similar brands, contribute to quicker and more intense fires compared to traditional solid wood furniture. Doug references a controlled study by Underwriters Laboratory (UL), demonstrating the drastic differences in fire behavior between rooms furnished with natural materials versus synthetic ones:

"After four minutes, the house with natural furnishings... is still manageable. The synthetic-furnished room is completely engulfed in flames and produces a lot more smoke." (08:16)

Smoke Alarms

The conversation shifts to the critical role of smoke alarms in homes. Doug addresses common issues with smoke alarms, particularly nuisance alarms that lead occupants to disable them:

"Nuisance alarms... people get very frustrated with them and then they just take the smoke alarm off their wall, leave themselves with no early warning system at all." (09:24)

He emphasizes the importance of maintaining functional smoke alarms and developing a fire escape plan:

"The number one thing is to have a plan... where to go, having an outside meeting place, and knowing who will manage children through the process." (10:00)

Types of Smoke Alarms and New Standards

Doug explains the evolution of smoke alarm technology and the introduction of new UL standards in 2024:

"The new UL standard... requires smoke alarms to have increased sensitivity to burning polyurethane foam and reduce nuisance alarms." (13:10)

He advises homeowners to upgrade to the latest models to ensure better detection of fast-burning fires and to minimize false alarms. Doug also distinguishes between smoke alarms and more comprehensive fire alarm systems typically found in commercial settings.

Placement of Smoke Alarms

Strategic placement of smoke alarms is crucial for optimal safety. Doug recommends:

"At minimum, you should have a smoke alarm in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area, in the kitchen, on each floor, and in the basement." (15:34)

Additionally, he highlights the importance of installing carbon monoxide (CO) detectors alongside smoke alarms to safeguard against odorless, poisonous gases:

"A CO detector... should be in the basement and on each floor." (15:56)

Carbon Monoxide Detectors

Christine shares a sobering account of a tragic incident caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, reinforcing the necessity of CO detectors:

"A family of four died of carbon monoxide poisoning at a condo complex when their water heater's pilot light kept going out." (17:08)

Doug reiterates the invisible threat of CO and the life-saving potential of detectors:

"It's odorless... you have no idea it's happening." (16:09)

Fire Extinguishers

The discussion transitions to fire extinguishers, where Doug emphasizes the importance of having an ABC fire extinguisher:

"You should have an ABC fire extinguisher that handles Class A, B, and C fires." (24:33)

He explains the different classes of fires and the limitations of various extinguishers. Proper usage is also covered:

"Aim at the base of the fire... practice using it if possible." (26:35)

Doug advises placing fire extinguishers on every floor, in garages, and near exits to ensure accessibility during emergencies.

Fire Ladders

For those in multi-story homes or apartments, Doug discusses the utility of fire ladders as a secondary escape route:

"Have two ways out of every bedroom... one through the door and another via a window with a fire ladder." (30:34)

He reviews the features of effective fire ladders, highlighting The Exit ladder for its user-friendly design:

"The Exit ladder is extremely easy to use... my son could figure it out immediately." (32:16)

Fire Safety Products from Social Media

Doug examines the rise of fire safety products trending on social media, such as fire blankets and aerosol fire extinguishers. He advises caution:

"Aerosol fire extinguisher sprays are not a replacement for traditional fire extinguishers." (36:38)

While fire blankets can be useful for small fires, they are not substitutes for extinguishers and have limitations, especially with larger or more intense fires.

Conclusion and Takeaways

The episode concludes with a strong emphasis on preparedness. Hosts and Doug reiterate the importance of:

• Upgrading to modern, sensitive smoke alarms.
• Installing carbon monoxide detectors.
• Maintaining and properly using ABC fire extinguishers.
• Considering fire ladders for additional escape routes.
• Understanding the limitations of alternative fire safety products.

Rosie emphasizes the necessity of being "rigorous and intentional" about fire safety without succumbing to anxiety, while Kyra reflects on the role of synthetic materials in increasing fire risks.

Final Thoughts

Doug shares his latest favorite purchase, a high-quality tool bag, underscoring the value of reliable tools in both everyday tasks and emergency preparedness.

"The veto pro pack is so organized and indestructible... nothing can beat this tool bag." (38:44)

The episode wraps up with hosts encouraging listeners to visit Wirecutter’s website for more detailed recommendations and to stay informed about essential fire safety products.

Key Quotes:

• Doug Mahoney on synthetic materials: "Homes nowadays are burning faster than ever due to synthetic materials... escape time has gone from approximately 17 minutes to about three minutes or less." (06:51)
• Importance of having a fire plan: "The number one thing is to have a plan... where to go, having an outside meeting place, and knowing who will manage children through the process." (10:00)
• On new smoke alarm standards: "The new UL standard... requires smoke alarms to have increased sensitivity to burning polyurethane foam and reduce nuisance alarms." (13:10)
• Regarding fire extinguishers: "You should have an ABC fire extinguisher that handles Class A, B, and C fires." (24:33)
• On fire ladders: "Have two ways out of every bedroom... one through the door and another via a window with a fire ladder." (30:34)

Recommendations:

• Smoke Alarms: Upgrade to UL’s latest standards for better detection of fast-burning fires. Ensure placement in every sleeping area, kitchen, and on each floor.
• Carbon Monoxide Detectors: Install in basements and on each floor to detect odorless, poisonous gases.
• Fire Extinguishers: Purchase an ABC fire extinguisher and place them strategically on every floor and near exits.
• Fire Ladders: Consider installing user-friendly fire ladders as secondary escape routes, especially in multi-story residences.
• Fire Safety Products: Use fire blankets and aerosol extinguishers with an understanding of their limitations, and prioritize traditional extinguishers for primary fire-fighting needs.

For more detailed guidance and product recommendations, listeners are encouraged to visit Wirecutter’s fire safety section.

Transcript

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[Christine Cyrclassette]

From the New York Times, you're listening to the Wirecutter Show.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Hey, everyone, it's the Wirecutter Show. I'm Kyra Blackwell.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I'm Christine Cyrclassette.

[Rosie Guerin]

And I'm Rosie Guerin. And we work at Wirecutter, the product recommendation site from the New York Times.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Each week we bring you expert advice from Our newsroom of 140 journalists who review everyday products that will make your life better.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

This episode of the Wire Cutter show is called Fireproof your home.

[Rosie Guerin]

Y'All. It is finally cold outside. I have got to tell you, I've been eyeing my fireplace for a few weeks now, and I'm so happy that I'm getting the.

[John Chase]

The.

[Rosie Guerin]

The logs going. We're having cozy moments after I pick the kids up at school. There's nothing to me more enticing than a warm fire in the middle of winter. I just. I love it.

[Kyra Blackwell]

It's so good.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah. I love this for you, Rosie. I just have radiators and that's just not the same vibe.

[Kyra Blackwell]

No, it gives a little warmth. Just put your socks on there.

[Rosie Guerin]

Drape yourself across the top of the radiator.

[Doug Mahoney]

Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I don't want to rain on your cozy parade, but actually, Rosie, I don't know if your fire safety stuff is up to snuff right now, but I just remember distinctly setting my parents living room rug on fire because I was making s'mores in the fireplace and I was having too much fun setting the marshmallows on fire.

[Doug Mahoney]

Oh, my go.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Waving it around and then it dropped right onto the carpet and it just went up in flames.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Oh, my gosh. What was the scene like? Was there a fire extinguisher pulled out.

[Kyra Blackwell]

And we stomped on it?

[Christine Cyrclassette]

It's a good move if you have to, but that's maybe not the most recommended advice that we have, right? Yeah.

[Rosie Guerin]

I have to say, for as much enthusiasm as I have for this time of the year inside and snuggling up by the fire and lighting those candles, I do have on almost an equal amount of anxiety about fire safety.

[Kyra Blackwell]

And that's healthy.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah. There are more fires in December than any other month out of the year. And there's probably a lot of reasons, you know, it has to do with holiday decorations and candles and starting up that fireplace for the first time this season. So, you know, real reasons to be concerned.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah. All of those elements, plus the fact that there really just isn't anything to be done. If. If a serious fire breaks out in your home, the best thing you can do is just get out and. And let the real professionals deal with it. So we're just gonna be talking about the few key essentials you need to have in your house and how to properly maintain them so you can be as prepared as possible for a situation like that.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Today, we're gonna talk with Wirecutter's resident fire safety expert, Doug Mahoney, who, if you've listened to the show for a while, you might recognize Doug's name. He was on a prior episode about what to do if you have a rodent infestation.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So good.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

It was a really good episode. And some listeners might remember that Doug lives in a very house and he heats with a wood stove. Doug tests all of the smoke alarms, fire extinguishers, and fire ladders that Wirecutter reviews and recommends. So today, Doug's going to talk us through what you need to look for in fire safety gear, and he's also going to talk to us a bit about some changes in smoke alarms this past year in 2024. So even if you have smoke alarms in your home right now, you may want to consider getting new ones.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah. We're also gonna phone a friend. A little later in this episode, we're gonna be speaking with our smart home editor, John Chase, who's gonna tell us a little bit more about smart smoke alarms.

[Rosie Guerin]

There are parts of this conversation I think, that are unsettling and a little scary, but I do think this information is super important to be prepared. So I'm looking forward to hearing from Doug and John.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah, it's your little, like, seasonal medicine. All right, we're gonna take a quick break and we'll be right back.

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This podcast is brought to you by Apple Pay. During the holidays, I'm a big online shopper thanks to Apple Pay, and that's because I don't have to waste time typing all my info into those long checkout forms. Plus, Apple Pay is made to be secure thanks to the built in technology of Face id, which is designed so that only I can authorize payments this season. Do what I do and pay the Apple way. Apple Pay is a service provided by Apple Payment Services llc, a subsidiary of Apple Inc. Any card used in Apple Pay is offered by the card issuer.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I gave my brother a New York Times subscription.

[Doug Mahoney]

She sent me a year long subscription so I have access to all the games.

[Rosie Guerin]

We'll do Wordle mini spelling bee.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

It has given us a personal connection.

[Rosie Guerin]

We exchange articles and so having read.

[John Chase]

The same article, we can discuss it.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

The coverage, the options. It's not just news.

[Doug Mahoney]

Such a diversified disc.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I was really excited to give him a New York Times cooking subscription so that we could share recipes and we even just shared a recipe the other day.

[Rosie Guerin]

The New York Times contributes to our quality time together.

[Doug Mahoney]

You have all of that information at your fingertips.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

It enriches our relationship, broadening our horizons. It was such a cool and thoughtful gift.

[Rosie Guerin]

We're reading the same stuff, we're making the same food.

[Doug Mahoney]

We're on the same page.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Connect even more with someone you care about. Learn more about giving a New York Times subscription as a [e-mail] gift. Get a special rate if you act before December 26th.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Welcome back to the Wirecutter Show. With us now is Doug Mahoney, who is joining us to talk about fire safety. Doug is a senior staff writer on Wirecutter's home improvement team. And before his time at Wirecutter, he actually worked on construction sites as a carpenter, a foreman, and as a job site supervisor where one of his duties was supplying and inspecting the job site fire extinguishers. So he's really set up for this job.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Welcome back to the Wirecutter Show, Doug.

[Doug Mahoney]

Thanks. It's nice to be here.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

It's so great to have you back, Doug. The holidays are approaching. It is time for the wood fires, the holiday decorations, festive candles, all these things that can actually be fire risks in your home. And according to the National Fire protection agency, in 2023, I think this statistic is crazy. In 2023, over 3,30,000 homes caught fire and that resulted in thousands of deaths and injuries. That's. That's so scary. Doug, what do you think are the most important things people need to know about the risks of house fires?

[Doug Mahoney]

You know, I would say the most important thing to know about the risk from house fires is that homes nowadays are burning faster than ever due to synthetic materials. There are Some estimates that 30 or 40 years ago there was a house fire. You had approximately 17 minutes to escape, but now that number is down to about three minutes or less.

[Kyra Blackwell]

That's so bad.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah, that's scary. And when you say the materials in the home, what do you mean? Like, the furnishings are different. They're made with, like, foam and synthetics.

[Doug Mahoney]

Yep, they're made with. With more synthetics. Even something if you think of like, a bookshelf, if you have an older style bookshelf or a bookshelf made with natural materials, it's going to be solid oak or solid maple, solid cherry. If you have something from, say, ikea. I'm not trying to pick on IKEA here, but if you have or some knockdown furniture like that, it's going to be made of synthetic materials. So it's going to be some kind of wood product compressed with an adhesive, which is just going to burn a lot quicker, probably produce a lot more smoke than a solid wood bookshelf.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So you're telling me that Amazon table that I got is definitely not the best when it comes to lighter fuel, or maybe it's too good at it?

[Doug Mahoney]

Potentially. Potentially, yeah.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Doug, as part of our research for this episode, you sent us this absolutely horrifying video of a controlled burn that was meant to show the difference between how synthetics burn in a home versus how natural material materials burn. What's the story behind that video?

[Doug Mahoney]

So ul, which is Underwriters Laboratory, they're an independent testing and certification organization, built two identical living rooms, and they furnished one with sort of older style natural furnishings, and they furnished one with modern sort of synthetic. So one has like a fiberboard MDF table. One has like an oak table, that sort of thing. One has like a polyester throw, the other one's got a cotton one. And they light an identical fire in each room. And after four minutes, the house with natural furnishings. I mean, it's a fire for sure, but it's something that's still kind of manageable. And the other room is just completely engulfed in flames. I mean, it just happens so fast and there's so much smoke, it's terrifying.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So, Doug, I am one of those people who lives in an apartment and I don't change the batteries on my fire alarm enough. And it's a really cheap alarm, so it's constantly going off when I'm cooking. So I end up disabling the alarms most of the time. I can. I can only imagine that's probably not helping when it comes to fires getting faster. And it contributes to more people being hurt in these fires because they're not aware of them.

[Doug Mahoney]

Yeah, that's definitely not helping at all. Those are known as nuisance alarms and they're sort of a plague in the smoke alarm world. They can happen for all kinds of reasons. They can happen typically with cooking. Cooking smoke will set off an alarm. Even an insect could come across the smoke alarm and set it off or just low batteries. But the result of those, if they happen enough, people get very frustrated with them and then they just take the smoke alarm off their wall, take the batteries off, leave themselves with no early warning system at all.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I guess my follow up question would be, what's the most important thing that you could do to prepare for a fire emergency? It's starting from maybe don't disable your fire alarms.

[Doug Mahoney]

Well, it would be to have a plan. The number one thing, there's all kinds of products that you can get. You should definitely have working smoke alarms, functional fire extinguishers. But the most important thing is to sort of have a home plan with all the people who live in the home, sort of where to go. If there's a fire, there should be an outside meeting place. If there are young children, there should be some sort of plan as to who will manage them through the process. So there's definitely a knowledge element to it before you even get to any products.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I think that's so interesting because I don't have a plan in my own home, and I'm going to go home and make a plan. But I mean, like, any business has a plan, right? You have to have a plan if you own a business or a building, to get out. So given that fires are getting worse and it's really important as an individual, as family, or with roommates, or just by yourself to spend 10 minutes making that plan. Definitely make sure you've got your fire extinguisher, which we're gonna talk about, and your smoke alarm, right?

[Doug Mahoney]

Yep.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yep. Okay, great.

[Rosie Guerin]

I have a question about smoke detectors, actually, Doug, Are smoke detectors and fire alarms interchangeable? Cause I think I've used those terms interchangeably for years.

[Doug Mahoney]

They are not. A smoke alarm is what we're gonna be talking about, is what people have in their homes. A fire alarm is more of a comprehensive system. It's something you're typically gonna find in a restaurant in an institutional setting, which has multiple parts, one part of which could be a smoke alarm.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

All right, so let's get in to the details of smoke alarms. When I go to a hardware store and I'm looking at the smoke alarms, it just seems like there's so many choices. And I'm not Really sure what I should be looking for on the label. And I know from reading our guide to smoke alarms that there are actually different types of smoke alarms. So can you explain what people should be looking for?

[Doug Mahoney]

For sure there were different types of smoke alarms. Things have recently become a lot clearer and a lot easier for consumers as far as smoke alarms go. So ul, they set performance standards for smoke alarms. Previously smoke alarms, there were two different technologies of smoke alarms. There were photoelectric smoke alarms and there were ionization smoke alarms. And they each sort of had different strength and different weaknesses. Ionization alarms were better at fast flaming fires, and photoelectric alarms were slightly better at slow smoldering fires. They were both decent alarms. But I think a lot of people probably didn't even know that there were two different types of alarms. They would just sort of go and pick up whatever. Ionization alarms were a lot less expensive. So a lot of people may have ended up with those. So now the new UL standard, it's a much higher performance standard. And it's a standard that's actually geared towards these new, faster burning homes that we're living in. There's a test now that a smoke alarm has to have a certain sensitivity to burning polyurethane foam. As of earlier this year, all smoke alarms that are manufactured have to be manufactured to the new standard. There may still be some left on the shelves that are compliant with the old standard, but everything being manufactured at this point going forward is to the new UL standard.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

So these are really new, these alarms that people can get that will be sensitive to these faster burning fires. If you have an older smoke alarm, should you get one of these newer ones instead?

[Doug Mahoney]

Due to the fact that these are sort of tailor made. The newer models are tailor made to the burning polyurethane foam. It's not a bad idea, certainly given, like I said earlier, that this escape time has gone from 17 minutes down to less than three minutes. There's a lot of things in the new standards that are new. One is the increased sensitivity to burning polyurethane foam. Also a attempt to reduce these cooking nuisance alarms. And so what these tests do is they create, because there's sort of this push and pull with these with smoke alarms. Like you want it to be highly, highly sensitive to one smoke, but you want it to not be very sensitive at all to another smoke. So it sort of sets a baseline for nuisance alarms. And then it also creates this high sensitivity towards burning polyurethane foam. And there is also smoke alarm options for People with hearing issues. A regular smoke alarm sounds off at about 85 decibels, which is plenty loud for most people. But if there are any issues or if someone is just an extremely heavy sleeper, there are other items. They all sort of have the same technology where it's something you put by your bed, and they will pick up the alarm sound from a standard smoke alarm and then set off like a little vibrating capsule that could be under your pillow or start to set off, like, a strobe light.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So if you're in the store and you're just looking at all these smoke alarms, how can you look at the label and tell that it's the newer standard? Like, say that they still do have some of the old ones just at the back of the shelf. How do you sort through that?

[Doug Mahoney]

Well, then the new standards, it'll have some language to the effect of that it reduces nuisance alarms from cooking fires.

[Rosie Guerin]

Can you explain what polyurethane foam is? Like, where are you gonna find that? What is that gonna be, your mattress?

[Doug Mahoney]

Yeah, you're gonna find that. Yeah, A mattress and a couch cushion.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Pretty much. Any upholstered furniture, newer upholstered furniture?

[Kyra Blackwell]

At this point, that's everything in my apartment.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah. Anything from Wayfair?

[Kyra Blackwell]

Sorry.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Wayfair.

[Rosie Guerin]

Sorry. All right, so we have this new guidance. We have these new, improved, ideally, smoke alarms. Where should people be putting these smoke alarms in their homes to make sure that they do what they're supposed there should be?

[Doug Mahoney]

At minimum, you should have a smoke alarm in every bedroom, every sleeping room. You should have one in the area outside of the sleeping rooms. Like, say if you have a second floor landing that all the bedrooms are off of, you want a smoke alarm in that area also. Good idea to have one in the kitchen, one on each floor, and then in the basement also. And you should also have a CO detector in the basement and on each floor.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

What is a CO detector?

[Doug Mahoney]

That is for carbon monoxide, which is a odorless, poisonous gas that can come from furnaces, heating systems, which can basically.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Make you pass out and die. Right. Just in. Like the Cliff Notes. Yeah. Okay.

[Doug Mahoney]

No odor or anything. It's. You have no idea it's happening.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Right?

[Rosie Guerin]

The number one anxiety from my entire childhood.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah.

[Rosie Guerin]

I don't know why I didn't know anyone for, you know, that was affected, but I think I heard this once when I was like, eight, and I was like, well, this is it. This is how I'm gonna go.

[Kyra Blackwell]

That's the way I die.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

You know what? Honestly, psa, if you are going to an Airbnb, and that Airbnb does not have a carbon monox alarm. You really need to maybe bring one or something, because I, I went to Mexico a few years ago with my family, and we stayed at these condos, and we had a water heater that the pilot light kept going out. And so we, you know, we were concerned about getting gas inside the apartment or whatever, but the windows were open, so it was okay. And the property manager came over and fixed it. But three months later, I read in the news, at this same condo complex, a family of four died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Yeah, they were there when it was warmer, and so their windows were closed, presumably because they had the AC on. And this family died at night because the apartment filled up with all this, you know, toxic gas.

[Kyra Blackwell]

That's so sad.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

So, yeah, I, I, I know it's like a real bummer to even talk about this, but I think it's something that, you know, you kind of, like, get freaked out thinking about, but don't oftentimes don't do anything about. So it is a real issue. If you don't have one, get one. If you're traveling, make sure the place you're going to has one.

[Rosie Guerin]

I truly thought it was an irrational fear of mine, but it sounds slightly more rational than I had hoped.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah, but it's preventable, right?

[Rosie Guerin]

Preventable.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Get the carbon monoxide detector.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Doug, I'm interested to hear how you were testing your smoke alarms and which ones you came to recommend through the testing.

[Doug Mahoney]

What we did is we isolated a number of features that we felt were essential, and there really weren't not that many models that actually had those features. So we sort of boiled it down that way.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay, and the one that you recommend in your guide is the first alert SM500V. And to my understanding, this is slightly more expensive than some of the other models that you might see at the store. Are you paying for more because you're getting more out of it, or is the baseline still pretty much the same.

[Doug Mahoney]

As far as the actual alarm technology you're getting? It's about the same, or it will be the same, but there's sort of some added features that make this a much better smoke alarm. For one, it has its own interconnected system so that when one alarm sounds, all of the other alarms in the house will sound. You don't need hardwired smoke alarms. You don't need a smart home system. It sort of has its own little mesh network that was. So when the one in the kitchen goes off, then the one in the living room will go off, which will then signal the one in the bedrooms to go off, which is very important because if you live in a larger home, if you're a heavy sleeper like I am, I would not hear a smoke alarm in our basement. So that's probably the most important feature. The other feature of these that is very appealing is that when you install each one, you can set a location to it so it will give a voice alert as to which alarm is the one that triggered all of the other alarms. So it'll tell you that there's smoke in the basement, it'll tell you there's smoke in the kitchen. So then you can have a very, very fast response time. You don't have to sort of run around trying to figure out which one is going off. You can go right to the basement with your fire extinguisher or, you know, as far as you want to go with that.

[Kyra Blackwell]

We're going to take a break in just a moment, but before we do, I actually want to call up another one of our colleagues. His name is John Chase. He's the editor of Wirecutter's smart home Coverage. And he's going to tell us a little bit more about specifically smart smoke alarms, and they can be integrated into smart home systems.

[John Chase]

I've always wanted to say, longtime listener, first time caller.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Hey, John, how are you?

[John Chase]

I am great. Delighted to be here.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

We have some questions about smart smoke alarms. You know a ton about these. What are the advantages to going smart in this department?

[John Chase]

So the Nest Protect is our top pick. We have all agree, you know, on staff, among my team, that the most important smart device there is is a smart smoke alarm. They kind of do all the a lot of things that a traditional smoke alarm can't do, which is they proactively reach out to you when you aren't home. And that's a really big deal. Like if you aren't home and an alarm goes off at your house, you'll get a notification on your device and it'll say, hey, there's smoke detected in this particular room. That allows you to, if you're lucky, you might be able to call home, or you could race home, or you might be able to tell a neighbor to go and check on it. That kind of thing. At a base level, that makes them really, really useful. And it's a huge difference. That's not something you can get with a traditional smoke alarm.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

We were talking with Doug about some of the new standards that are Going into the newest smoke alarms, are those also effective in these smart alarms?

[John Chase]

Yeah, they completely comply with all of the newest standards.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

And when you say it'll notify your device, is that beyond your phone? Like, would it notify other devices as well?

[John Chase]

You can also set it so that it calls someone. You can set it so that. That could be a fire department, it could be your police department, it could be your neighbor, it could be you. Imagine if you like your parent or someone who lives alone and you want to keep tabs on them. It'd be amazing to get an alert every time the smoke alarm goes off at their home. So that's really, really useful. On top of that, when you are home, it doesn't just start wailing, which a traditional smoke detector does. You get this really excellent alert that goes, I'm going to do my best robot voice impression. But it goes, alert. Smoke is detected in your kitchen. The alarm will sound. The alarm is loud.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Wow.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

So it's like walking you through blow by blow, the sounds, but just in a voice.

[Kyra Blackwell]

It's just giving you a slight warning, Christine, A warning before the morning.

[John Chase]

Yeah. It's basically like you're about to get, you know, I'm about to send in the cavalry. But that's super useful because you don't want to just have the alarm go off because people panic, right?

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah.

[John Chase]

And that's also why people, they rip out the battery because it goes off too often.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I think that's all of our questions about smart smoke alarms. Thank you so much, John, for fielding them.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Thanks, John.

[John Chase]

Absolutely. I'm so glad to speak with you guys.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

All right, we're going to take a quick break and then when we're back, we're going to talk about what you really need to know about fire extinguishers, how to find the right ones, how to use them properly. And then after that, we're going to talk with Doug about some of the most viral safety products you might have seen on your social feeds.

[Kyra Blackwell]

We'll be right back.

[Apple Pay Ad]

This podcast is brought to you by Apple Pay. During the holidays, I'm a big online shopper thanks to Apple Pay, and that's because I don't have to waste time typing all my info into those long checkout forms. Plus, Apple Pay is made to be secure thanks to the built in technology of Face id, which is designed so that only I can authorize payments this season, do what I do, and pay the Apple way. Apple Pay is a service provided by Apple Payment Services llc, a subsidiary of Apple Inc. Any card Used in Apple Pay is offered by the card issuer.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Welcome back to the Wirecutter Show. This episode is all about fire safety with Doug Mahoney. So we have covered smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Now let's talk about fire extinguishers. I think that this is the type of purchase I know personally that I have never overthought. Like I have one, I picked up the first thing I saw and I walked out. I paid for it and then I.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Walked out of the store.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I did not steal my fire extinguisher. But there are a lot of different types, right? There are the white ones, there's the red ones. They seem to come in a variety of sizes. What do you need to know about shopping for a fire extinguisher? Are there specific types that you know, you really should have in in a home?

[Doug Mahoney]

Yes. There's basically one fire extinguisher you should have in a home and that's called an ABC fire extinguisher. So there's five types of fire. There's class A and that's going to be like wood and fabric and some plastic. Sort of what we normally think of when we think of combustibles. There's going to be a class B fire and that is like burning liquid. And then there's class C fire, which is an energized fire, like an electrical fire, like say if your breaker panel is on fire. There's also class D which is burning metals, which is something we don't thankfully don't need to worry about in our homes. And then there's class K which is burning cooking oil. And that is class K is really only if you have like an industrial sized fry later. It's not really for residential cooking oil. Residential cooking oil can be handled with a class B extinguisher. So you really want an extinguisher that can handle all of class A, class B and class C. And you want to do it in one unit so there's no guesswork, so you don't have to run around and try and figure out, you know, is this my BC fire extinguisher or is this my class A fire extinguisher? You just want an ABC fire extinguisher.

[Kyra Blackwell]

And is that the typical red one that we see on TV and everything else?

[Doug Mahoney]

Yep, they're generally the red ones.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

What happens if you have the wrong type of fire extinguisher?

[Doug Mahoney]

Like say if you have just a class A extinguisher, it may be a water based chemical, in which case you would not want to spray it on burning oil. You would just spread it. And you certainly wouldn't want to burn it on an energized fire like an electrical panel. Okay.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

All right. That makes sense. I have a question about how you're supposed to use fire extinguishers. I've never personally used one. I was recently at a friend's house, and they actually had a grease fire in their. No. Yes. They had a grease fire in their outdoor grill. And it just kept getting bigger and bigger and bigger. And we were like, oh, no. One of my friends went inside and grabbed the fire extinguisher and they put it out. But if I had been in that situation, I'm not sure I would have known. What's the. The right way to use a fire extinguisher?

[Doug Mahoney]

You're supposed to aim at the base of the flame. You're supposed to aim it at what is on fire.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Okay.

[Doug Mahoney]

And it's. It's something that it's definitely. It's not easy to do, but if you can get yourself in a situation where you can practice with one, or you could potentially get a rechargeable fire extinguisher and practice with it and then have someone recharge it again, it's a pretty unique experience to use one. And it's. It's worth practicing. It's worth practicing if you can.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

It's my kid's dream to go outside and use the fire extinguisher. Is it expensive to recharge them?

[Rosie Guerin]

What does that actually mean?

[Doug Mahoney]

Yeah, to refill it. If you use a fire extinguisher once, you really shouldn't use it again without. Without refilling it.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Nobody wants to hear that. Every use.

[Doug Mahoney]

No, every use. The ones that we recommend, they're actually rechargeable. So they can be refilled. There are ones that. That cannot. They're just sort of single. They're just single use items. I think it's less than what a new one would cost.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

That was basically my question. Like, is it worth refilling or should you just go out and buy a new one?

[Doug Mahoney]

It's worth refilling because also with the rechargeable one, you're going metal valves. You're going to get a tool that's going to be a little more reliable. There have been a number of recalls done on single use fire extinguishers with plastic valves.

[Kyra Blackwell]

So, Doug, now we know we should be getting the classic red fire extinguisher. Where should we be putting it? In our homes?

[Doug Mahoney]

So fire extinguishers you should have one fire extinguisher on every floor. You should have one in your garage, if you have a garage. And then you want to put them sort of towards the exits of the house. You want it to be something that you're grabbing while you're getting out of the house. You don't ever want to be in a position where you're running deeper into your house to get firefighting capabilities. You don't want to put it like, you don't want to put it under your sink.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Guilty.

[Rosie Guerin]

Guilty.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Where then?

[Doug Mahoney]

Well, a place like a coat closet would be good. Top of the basement stairs. If there's a spot there, they usually come with some kind of hanging device so you can put it on a wall. Like if you have a set of basement stairs, you can put one on the wall there.

[Kyra Blackwell]

That messes up the feng shui.

[Rosie Guerin]

Well, just say it was like a really expensive Warhol.

[Doug Mahoney]

Take your sacrifices.

[Rosie Guerin]

Oh, this, this old thing? I got it from moma.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

It's arts.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Okay, good to know. You also mentioned in your guide that you should be getting your fire extinguisher checked or inspected every six years or so. Where can you even go to get that done?

[Doug Mahoney]

Sure. Well, first of all, you should take it upon yourself to inspect your fire extinguisher every so often. You know, you could do it when you, when you change out your smoke alarms at daylight savings times, when you change out your batteries. And that's just a matter of looking at it, making sure the gauge is where it should be, making sure it's still in an accessible place. But yes, it is a good idea every six years or so to have a professional look at it. You can do that. There may be a local fire safety company near you. I've also heard of people just going to the fire department and having them inspect it.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I've done that. I went to my local firehouse and they looked at it and gave me a thumbs up.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Is it free?

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah, it was free.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Oh, nice.

[Rosie Guerin]

Yeah, you get a sticker and a lollipop too.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah, my kids loved it.

[Rosie Guerin]

So what to know? You're going into the hardware store, you're trying to find a fire extinguisher. Abc. Get an ABC fire extinguisher. That's gonna cover you in most cases. If you ever have to use this thing, aim it at the base of the fire.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Now, we wanna talk with you about fire ladders. These are collapsible products that you can keep in your home to escape out of a window in.

[Rosie Guerin]

This is Another deep anxiety. We're really getting into my psyche here. I used to live in an apartment that was the parlor floor in a brownstone. And the level I was on didn't have fire escape access for whatever reason. And so sometime into my tenure there, I sort of woke up with a start in the middle of the night, in a panic, I went down a rabbit hole trying to figure out if I needed a fire ladder, and how was I gonna propel myself, like a sort of a spy or something into the garden. And I now have a fire escape in my apartment, and so I don't have to worry about it so much. But for folks in this situation, what's the guidance here?

[Doug Mahoney]

Well, the guidance here is to really have two ways out of every bedroom. So one way is gonna be the door, and the other way is gonna be likely a window. So in most cases, that would mean some sort of way to get out the window safely, whether it's a fire ladder that's already attached to the house or. Or getting a portable one, a small one that you can keep in a closet. Those, which are the ones that we reviewed, you can sort of hook them right over your windowsill, and then the ladder drops out the window, and then you can theoretically climb right out and down to safety.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I personally don't even like regular ladders, and these fire ladders seem kind of precarious to me. What do you need to look for in a good fire ladder?

[Doug Mahoney]

First of all, you are absolutely correct. They are very difficult ladders to use. I've spent. I was in construction. I've spent a lot of time on ladders, and there's, like, nothing harder than trying to climb down a fire safety ladder. It's basically a rope ladder. They typically have very uncomfortable rungs. So what you want to do is you want to look for one that's as easy as possible to use. When you're using it, you're likely to be in an extremely high stress situation. There may not be lights available. So you want something that's extremely intuitive. You also want to practice on it as much as you can, especially kids, people with mobility issues. Again, like with. With everything with fire safety, just getting the item is. Is really only part of it, especially with fire ladders. I think you really need to understand how you're going to use it and the situation that you're likely to use it in.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Doug, we like this ladder, the exit. It's X dash it, right? Why do you like this ladder?

[Doug Mahoney]

That one, Like I said, it all comes down to how intuitive it is. It's a very simple hook. Comes in a bright yellow bag. It's sort of easy to spot in a low light situation. But all you do is you just take this hook and you just hook it right on your windowsill and then just dump the rungs out the window. The other models we looked at, the hook section kind of had these folding hinges. You had to unfurl it a certain way. One of them, the rungs, we hadn't even gotten the ladder out the window and the rungs had sort of like fallen in this tangled bundle at our feet. So the exit is just. It's extremely easy to use. While I was testing, I actually went in and out of my house a number of times with all these ladders. I actually had my. I think he was like 7 at the time. My son use all the ladders just sort of to see like it wasn't. I was just curious. And the only one he just immediately could use was the exit ladder. He just, he just looked at it. He knew exactly how to use it. He hooked it on the windowsill, dumped it out the window, and then just crawled out the window. Whereas the other ones were just so much more difficult, like he couldn't figure them out.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah. So that's one that you want to get for sure.

[Doug Mahoney]

Definitely.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Does your son think that you have the funnest job ever?

[Doug Mahoney]

He does, he does, yeah. He thinks it's pretty cool.

[Rosie Guerin]

Doug, let's pivot to some of these fire safety related products that we have all seen on social media. I, of course. Kyra's laughing already. I was served ads for the fire safety blanket and, you know, immediately purchased one. These things look enticing because they're seemingly not as complicated as more traditional fire gear. But I'm wondering, are they a legitimate alternative? Could the blanket, for instance, be a replacement for a fire extinguisher?

[Doug Mahoney]

Sure. Those blankets that. Yeah, we've all seen those in our social feeds lately. So they are a potential secondary option. The blankets in particular, it's a fiberglass blanket sometimes coated with silicone. They're typically sized for about the size of a range. So that's basically what I would think of them. For you put it over a fire, it smothers the fire out. They're not going to deal with a very large fire at all. And if you're ever in a situation where you only have time to grab one thing, I would not grab the fire blanket. I would always grab a real fire extinguisher. Could be some difficulty with Using it for one. It's an item not to use. You typically have to step closer to the fire, which isn't necessarily something you want to do. If you throw the blanket over the fire, you could fan the flames. There's some trickiness, there's some knowledge involved. If you have like a little, like a bacon grease fire and it's something that you have time to deal with, you could use a fire blanket. But like I said, if you only have time to grab one thing, I would not grab the fire blanket.

[Rosie Guerin]

Not a quick fix. Not like a fun, sexy thing to grab. When you have a fire, get the fire extinguisher, but an extra thing that you might want to have on hand. Because extra is maybe better.

[Doug Mahoney]

Yeah, I mean, it's not going to hurt to have one, but you just need to sort of know its limitations. Like, one thing with a regular fire extinguisher is they're extremely messy. I mean, if you have a little cooking fire and you use a real fire extinguisher, your whole room will be, like, covered in this powder, which for one is a small price to pay if you stop this fire. But if it's a really small fire and it's something that you can manage with the blanket, but it's got to be really small, then you could try it. But if it's a fire that's getting out of control, and like I said, you only have time to grab one thing, I would not grab the blanket.

[Rosie Guerin]

What's the deal with the fiberglass in some of these blankets? Is that anything to kind of be concerned about?

[Doug Mahoney]

That is a complaint that we saw for a lot of these. It's that the fiberglass sort of comes off the blanket, so once you grab it, you get these little shards in your hand. That was the case with one of the models we tested. Other models have a more of like a silicone coating, so that doesn't happen as much.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I'm assuming this might also be the case for this other thing that we've been seeing a lot on our social media feeds. It's kind of like an aerosol spray can. Fire extinguisher type. The one I've been seeing is called the Easy fire extinguisher spray. Could you throw out your fire extinguisher if you get one of these?

[Doug Mahoney]

Absolutely not. Absolutely not. If there's one takeaway from this entire conversation, it's not to replace your fire extinguisher with an aerosol can. Fire extinguisher spray.

[Kyra Blackwell]

No, not a good idea.

[Doug Mahoney]

It's It's. It's not a good idea at all. For one, their capabilities are much, much smaller. I mean, like, it really comes down about the same thing with the fire blanket. It could be helpful with a very, very, very small fire. Like, if you have one pan that's kind of acting up or something in your microwave has. Has sort of caught fire, and you want to put it out quickly. But in general, it does not replace a fire extinguisher. And to all the manufacturer's credit, it even says it on the can. Like this. Does not not replace a fire extinguisher. They come in an aerosol can, which are sort of notoriously, a little unreliable. We tested five of them. One of them, when we pulled the cap off, the little nozzle fell off.

[Kyra Blackwell]

No.

[Doug Mahoney]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Rosie Guerin]

So I'll tell you what.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah.

[Rosie Guerin]

What do you not want to happen?

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I mean, essentially, would you be better off just reaching for a lid of a pot to put on the fire or, like, some baking soda? Yeah.

[Doug Mahoney]

Yeah. Well, actually, interestingly, a number of the experts I talk, as far as a cooking fire goes, the best thing you can do is just turn off the heat and put a lid on the pot.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Okay.

[Doug Mahoney]

And that's gonna put it out. But if there's something, like I said, that you can't do that with a very small contained fire. You can maybe use one of these, because, like, I. To test them, I built a small campfire, maybe using, like, five or six pieces of wood, and I used an aerosol can to put out the fire. And you have about 30 seconds or so of this spray. What's nice about them is that it's a fairly contained spray. It's just a liquid. I did get the fire out, but the fire was still, you know, pretty crackly by the time I was done looking to sort of reignite itself. And then I built the same fire, and I used the regular fire extinguisher. And in, like, one instant, one single puff, the campfire was out.

[Kyra Blackwell]

All right, Doug. Well, before we wrap, we usually ask all of our guests one final question. What's the last thing you bought that you really loved?

[Doug Mahoney]

The last thing I bought that I really love. So I. I work on my house a lot. I have a construction background. And there's a tool bag. It's actually a tool bag that. That we recommend. It's called a veto pro pack, and it's wildly expensive, but it is so useful. It's such a helpful tool bag. Like most tool containment systems, you just kind of dump all your tools into A box. But this thing, it almost looks like a suitcase. It. It stores tools vertically, so everything sort of has its place. So it's extremely organized. You can load it up with a ton of stuff. It has this big, waterproof bottom to it. You can zip it close. It's, like, so indestructible. It's so strong. And there have been some other companies that have sort of backfilled less expensive models that are similar, but nothing can beat this tool bag.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I love that.

[Doug Mahoney]

Cool.

[Rosie Guerin]

The unbeatable tool bag.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Unbeatable tool bag.

[Rosie Guerin]

Doug, thanks so much for joining us. This was really helpful. I think not just this time of year, but I think this is a lot of information. Great information that we can all revisit as a good baseline to sort of think about our homes, apartments, wherever we live, and trying to be as prepared as possible for fire. So thank you.

[Doug Mahoney]

You're welcome. I think it's important information.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

All right. Are you terrified after that conversation with Doug?

[Kyra Blackwell]

Ask Rosie. She looks scared.

[Rosie Guerin]

I'm stricken. I think, honestly, the takeaway is preparedness, obviously.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah.

[Rosie Guerin]

Really. Just being rigorous and intentional about it and not, you know, not living in anxiety and fear, but recognizing that these are really things in your home apartment to have ready to go should you ever experience an emergency? A fire emergency?

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I think it's really important to be mindful about what you're putting in your home. That's always the point. But, geez, I just think about all the synthetic materials I've just been stuffing to my apartment and how flammable it makes it.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I mean, to a point. I think at this point, you can't avoid it. Even nice furniture is made with polyurethane.

[Rosie Guerin]

Totally.

[Kyra Blackwell]

That's.

[Rosie Guerin]

I mean, I think that's why you gotta be ready.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah. I think similar to the episode we did a while back on emergency prep, like, this is just even more acute. Like, you need to put some thought into how to prepare. And once you've got all your stuff, you're good. But then you also probably need to just check in periodically to make sure that everything is set up in the right way.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah. I mean, nobody's gonna be surprised to hear that. I don't have a fire extinguisher in my apartment. There's one in the building. I don't know where, but I've seen.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

But those aren't gonna help you.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I'll be leaving my apartment to go look for it, so it gets me out the fire zone.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Do you have two ways out of your apartment?

[Kyra Blackwell]

No.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Oh, all right. Well, you've got a checklist, so I.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Need to move and then get a fire extinguisher in your new place.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah, this seems like probably a good plan for you. I think that I am going to be looking into getting new smoke alarms because I definitely have the older kind and I think I want to have this newer kind that will better detect these polyurethane foam fires.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yeah, yeah.

[Rosie Guerin]

Similarly, ABC fire extinguisher. Yeah, Those are the letters to look for abc. And that's gonna provide pretty safe coverage and putting it not underneath your sink.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Yeah. Kyra, you and I can go go shopping for fire extinguishers. Or we could just go to a site called Wirecutter and buy the one that they recommend.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I've never heard of it, actually.

[Rosie Guerin]

If you want to find out more about Wirecutter's coverage or if you want to check out the products Doug recommended today, you can go to nytimes.com wirecut or you can find a link in the show notes. As always, until next week, thank you so much for listening.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Here's what's coming up next week on the Wirecutter Show. I have basically told both of you about this already. Maybe like 50 times already.

[Rosie Guerin]

I think, Kyra, you and I should say it together.

[Kyra Blackwell]

Yes.

[Rosie Guerin]

One, two, three. The mocha Master.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I love it so much. Make sure you're following the show on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss it. The Wirecutter show is executive produced by Rosie Guerin and produced by Abigail Kiel. Editing by Abigail Keel. Engineering support from Mattie Mazziello and Nick Pittman. Today's episode was mixed by Katherine Anderson, original music by Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Elisheba Itup, and Diane Wong. Wirecutter's deputy publisher and interim general manager is Cliff Levy. Ben Fried is Wirecutter's editor in chief.

[Kyra Blackwell]

I'm Kyra Blackwell.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

I'm Christine Cyrclassette.

[Rosie Guerin]

And I'm Rosie Guerin.

[Christine Cyrclassette]

Thanks for listening. Yeah, this just contributes to my theory that you should not have any decorations in your home for the holidays or Christmas.