KidSmart Smoke Detectors

February 28 -- You rely on smoke detectors to wake your family in case of a fire, but did you know more than half of young children who die in house fires just didn't wake up, despite a smoke detector?

In January, firefighters arrived to find a Northeast Fresno apartment in flames, with nine-year-old Wanya Hacket still inside. He did not get out in time.

"It's very very difficult any time you see anybody die in a fire, but especially a child," said Fresno Fire Chief Randy Bruegman.

A smoke alarm might have saved his life, but a past Action News test found young children often do not wake to the sound of a beeping smoke detector.

It's a disturbing, but very real problem. That's what prompted the creation of a new type of smoke alarm.

It's the KidSmart vocal smoke alarm. Parents record their own voices on it, addressing kids by name and giving specific instructions.

It's supposed to be 35% more effective than a normal smoke detector at waking sleeping kids and getting them to safety.

Action News put it to the test one morning at 6:00am at the Landseadal home in Northeast Fresno.

5-year-old Paige and 8-year-old Blake were sound asleep. Action News asked their parents not to warn them of the test.

Fresno Fire Chief Randy Bruegman triggered the alarm while mom and dad watched, unsure of how the children would react.

"Blake and Paige. This is your daddy," said their father's voice on the alarm. "I want you to stay calm. There is a fire in the house. Get out of your bed, get downstairs and get out the front door."

It worked — 8-year-old Blake woke up immediately and recognized his dad's voice and found him waiting in the hallway.

5-year-old Paige, however, was a completely different story. She didn't even move. 30 seconds went by, then a minute.

We tried moving the alarm closer, into her room. Still, there were no signs of her waking.

Then her dad, Scott, tried shaking her awake. She stirred and then went right back to sleep.

Finally, almost three minutes after the alarm first went off, she sat up in bed.

"Didn't surprise me," said Scott Landseadal.

"I knew my daughter wouldn't wake up. She's a very heavy sleeper. A little surprised my son woke up. He's a pretty heavy sleeper, too. But it does tell me that, I think maybe the voice activated alarm might work better than the regular alarm," he said.

That is key — because in a fire, every minute is critical to getting out alive.

"It's one of the leading causes of injury to children," says Bruegman. "And so I think we have to take it upon ourselves to teach them the right things to do in the event that we have an emergency in the home."

The fire chief recommends: