In an idea born of equal parts ingenuity and fire-fighting experience, Ed Pfeiffer of Hartsville has improved traditional home smoke detectors. He and his grandsons are now marketing the revised product via a new business, Firefighters Preventing Fires. The Bucks County Herald profiled it.

“We are taking the guesswork out of selecting detectors to upgrade the fire safety of a home,” Pfeiffer said.

The retooled detectors are wireless, meaning when one unit detects smoke, all the units in the home sound the alarm. Pfeiffer, Warwick Township’s former fire marshal, says that the uniform blare of multiple detectors can make a life-saving difference.

The ability to network smoke detectors is a relatively new technology. Newer homes are having them built into their framing; however, houses constructed more than 20 years ago could not support them.

Until now.

The units’ wireless connections sidestep the issue of drilling through walls and ceilings to unite them.

“Knowing there is smoke in your house at the earliest possible moment is fundamental to avoiding the risks of a fire,” Pfeiffer said. “This is especially true when you are asleep. Without the ‘interconnection’ feature, you can’t possibly hear the garage or basement detector from your bedroom.”

More information on this technological breakthrough in home safety is available at the Bucks County Herald and Firefighters Preventing Fires.