BRAD --73.102.xxx.xxx

Yeah, everyone in Philly is looking for someone to blame for this, other than the victims. The Fire Dept. last May had installed 7 smoke detectors for free with 10 year lithium batteries throughout the place. All but one had been disabled by the residents. Many were in a kitchen drawer. One was on the wall, but with its battery removed. The only one unmolested was in the basement, and that going off probably woke up the people on the first floor, who got out. --73.141.xxx.xxx

When we were fairly young kids, we learned from older siblings how to light matches to start our burning barrel ( that was garbage collection out on the farm) or to start small campfires for roasting hot dogs, a summertime treat. Because the older kids were teaching, they taught safety, as they had been taught. --70.92.xxx.xxx

I'm not convinced that the majority of tenants teach their children anything at all, just let them run wild and destructive. --76.178.xxx.xxx

I've only had one tenant who ever messed around with the smoke detectors. Ironically, he was a Navy jet electrician who also would put extension cords under throw rugs and runners. *Shudder* --98.115.xxx.xxx

If only tenants felt paying rent was fun. --24.101.xxx.xxx

Multi-residential schools and commercial buildings a central fire panel is the norm where using battery operated smoke alarms is only suitable for a single family house. Heat sensors would be the rental suites where once the temperature went high the central fire alarms would go off. A central fire panel heat sensors are connected to a end of line resister where if tampered with the fault light would go off on the central fire panel. In the suites there would be wired smoke alarm with battery back up where if the green light is on then ok. While tragic fires are rare no one wants a loss of life where having self closing door closures keeps the rest of building from filling up with smoke. Never accepted that the fire department would pass the apartment with smoke alarms in the hallway where bought a ten zone fire panel, smoke alarms, pull stations, bell, heat sensors then roughed in everything where had a fire alarm technician wire up then test system. When put carriage bolts in front load washing machines so the tenants would have put coins instead of starting washing machine they deliberately set on fire the double stacked commercial clothes dryer where the fire alarm went off before the sprinklers above opened up. Not only the fire alarm but self closures on all suite doors, separations in hallways to stair well with self closures, wired smoke alarms with battery back up in suites, emergency lights in hallways, new stand pipe hoses and cabinets so fire extinguishers could not stolen. The clothes dryers was beyond repair where no further damage other cleaning and painting ceiling. For the apartment buildings installing better fire protection was the most important investment made. Across the road there is house with three illegal apartments where no egress from basement apartments. If any thing happens the insurance company will not cover. Fires happen mainly as fault of careless tenants where no can prevent that from happening only counting on the safety equipment to work. --99.236.xxx.xxx

Same with somebody looking for a new pet. If they say "Mine got run over by a car!", I smh. So, you want another one to not take proper care of? --47.133.xxx.xxx

Pat, maybe our housing stock is older in our area, but 3 out of 4 fires in our town over the last 20 years involving families were electrical in nature, not any fault of the families (mine being one of them). The 4th was a father that went off the deep end, drugs were involved and luckily the wife had already taken the kids and moved out. So 3 out of 4 were not set by family members. --75.67.xxx.xxx