Adapted from Article by by Nick Gromicko, CMI® A smoke alarm, also known as a smoke detector, is a device that detects smoke and issues an audible sound and/or a visual signal to alert residents to a potential fire. Facts and Figures According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission: Almost two-thirds of reported deaths caused by home fires from 2003 to 2006 resulted from fires in homes that lacked working smoke alarms. Older homes are more likely to lack an adequate number