State Rep. Mike Turner, who is also a firefighter
Harriette Wilson (in red), whose husband died in a house fire after their smoke detector failed to go off.-
NC5 Investigates: Alarming Failure
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. - State lawmakers Wednesday got their first look at legislation prompted by a NewsChannel 5 investigation into smoke detectors.
The investigation exposed how the most common type of smoke detectors -- those with ionization technology -- often have trouble detecting smoke.
State Rep. Mike Turner, who is also a firefighter, wants ionization detectors phased out and replaced with photoelectric detectors. Tests have shown these types do a much better job at detecting smoke.
Turner shared Harriette Wilson's story to lawmakers. Her husband John died in a fire. Wilson blames their ionization detector for going off too late.
"When she finally heard her smoke detector go off, she opened the door and the smoke was already there," Turner said at the state Capitol. "She lost her husband in the fire. If she'd had the photoelectric detector, it possibly would have saved her husband's life. So, that's what we're talking about here. We're talking about saving lives."
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