Excerpts from jg-tc.com:

In a move that updates a 30-year-old law, the Illinois General Assembly has changed the smoke detector requirement for homes, requiring homeowners to now replace old detectors and use long-term, 10-year units. The new law is designed to cut down on human error — a lot of smoke detectors are not operational because batteries have died or been removed.

In a news release from the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance, it said the law was announced Wednesday at the Southern Illinois University Recreation Center. In 2017 there were 114 residential fire deaths in the state and there were already 90 in 2018. More than half of fire-related deaths occur in homes with no smoke alarm or no working smoke alarm.

“Informing people about protection from fire-related loss is part of public health’s educational mission, and this new legislation provides a responsive and much-needed safety net for Illinoisans,” said SIU Carbondale Public Health Graduate Program Director Dr. Robert McDermott, in the release.

Illinois Fire Safety Alliance Executive Director Phil Zaleski said sometimes people take out the batteries of detectors near kitchens to avoid setting them off while cooking, but he said the new models being required have 15-minute silence buttons. The new units are sealed and the release said will cut down on battery costs for families.

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