If Your Fire Alarm Did Not Go Off During a Fire, it May Have Been Defective

 Posted on July 17, 2023 in Personal Injury

Fires can be incredibly dangerous. Fire can engulf a residential building in mere minutes, leaving the people inside precious little time to get out. When a fire alarm works properly, it can alert a building’s occupants very quickly after a fire breaks out, buying anyone inside more time to get to safety. Unfortunately, fire alarms do not always go off when they are meant to. There can be several reasons a fire alarm may fail. There is a possibility that the fire alarm itself was dangerously defective in some way. There are a number of types of defects caused by the manufacturer’s, seller’s, or installer’s negligence. If the fault in your detector originated with an error made by the manufacturer or seller, you likely have a claim in products liability. If the error was caused by improper maintenance, you may have a claim in premises liability.  If you or your children were injured or a close family member passed away because a smoke alarm failed to go off, you may be entitled to compensation and should contact an attorney promptly. 

3 Types of Fire Alarm Defects Caused by Negligence 

If you had a fire in your home or another structure you were present in and the fire alarm never went off or went off far too late, it is very likely that another party’s negligence led to your injuries. Common defects in fire alarms and forms of negligent maintenance include: 

• Faulty manufacture or design - The fire alarm may have been carelessly designed or built in a manner such that it was never going to work. Programming errors sometimes cause nonworking fire alarms to make it to the market. 

• Negligent maintenance - Maintenance may inadvertently take the alarm system offline during routine maintenance and fail to properly reset it. Maintenance may also fail to perform necessary safety checks. 

• Installer errors - When contractors are installing fire alarms, they may overload the circuit and cause the entire fire alarm system to break down. When this happens, the alarm cannot alert anyone that it has been compromised. 

• Vandalism - Especially if you live in an apartment building or college dormitory, there is a possibility that another resident intentionally disabled the smoke alarm, often to conceal the fact that they are smoking in their unit. 

It is generally worth investigating why the smoke alarm never went off during a fire. You likely have a cause of action and are entitled to compensation for your injuries. 

Contact an Orland Park Products and Premises Liability Attorney

Schwartz Injury Law is committed to helping people who have been injured due to the negligence of another party. Our experienced Orland Park products and premises liability lawyers will do all we can to uncover the cause of the alarm failure and recover the compensation you deserve. For a complimentary consultation, please contact us at 708-888-2160. 

Source: https://kinetixfire.com/top-causes-fire-alarm-system-failure/