State Fire Marshals Urge Amazon and Other Retailers to Remove Potentially Unsafe Fire Safety Product
The National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM), an association whose principal membership comprises the senior fire officials in the United States and their top deputies, is asking the country's largest online retailer to stop the sale of smoke alarms that are not tested to nationally-recognized standards and which may not comply with applicable building codes in many states and municipalities. NASFM is also asking the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to take action to ensure consumers are protected and purchasing safe products.
In question are smoke alarms that do not carry the testing labels from a Nationally Recognized Third Party Testing Laboratory such as Underwriter Laboratories (UL) or Intertek/ETL – the two largest independent safety testing companies for electrical products. Products with these marks are evidence that the smoke alarm has been independently tested and complies with UL 217, Standard for Smoke Alarms, the industry-accepted standard for smoke alarms.
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NASFM identified several smoke alarm brands lacking third party testing laboratory marks on Amazon including: X-Sense, Arikon and Bovon.
Browning explained that smoke alarms sold in the United States are sent to UL or Intertek/ETL for testing and review. The two testing companies test smoke alarms in accordance to the UL 217 standard, the industry-accepted standard. Products not tested to this standard may not accurately detect fire, alarm the consumer in a timely fashion, and operate for the desired time period or other critical functions. Browning noted that the third-party listing also protects the consumer from potential legal penalties.
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About NASFM, "50 States – One Strong Voice for Fire Prevention" The principal membership of NASFM comprises the senior fire officials in the United States and their top deputies. The primary mission of the National Association of State Fire Marshals (NASFM) is to protect human life, property and the environment from fire and related hazards...
Learn more about NASFM and its issues at www.firemarshals.org