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ROWLEY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Most people don't think twice about if their smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are doing their job... Rowley Fire Department is asking residents to think again.
In the last few weeks, firefighters have found fake fire alarms in two different homes. In both cases, the homeowners had purchased the Elvicto Smoke Combination Photoelectric Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detector from Amazon. The Elvicto detector is advertised as a battery-operated alarm that has a 10-year battery lifespan.
"They took them off the ceiling [and they] seemed awful light to them so that drew attention to them and they started looking a little further," Rowley Fire Chief Mark Emery told WBZ's Karyn Regal about his firefighters' frightening discovery.
The firefighters found the detectors had no capacity to detect smoke or carbon monoxide.
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"It doesn't say on them anywhere whether they are a smoke alarm or a C.O. alarm.," Emery said. "That, if nothing else, should be on there."
A warning about the product went out in May that said, "The following is a notification from UL that the Combination Smoke/Carbon Monoxide alarms (CO/Smoke alarms) identified below bear unauthorized UL Certification Marks for the United States. UL has not evaluated these CO/Smoke alarms to the appropriate Standards for Safety, and it is unknown if the CO/Smoke alarms comply with any safety requirements."
On Amazon, the product is showing as "currently unavailable" with no details of if they are going to be back in stock. There is no alert on Amazon showing the alarms are faulty, posing a serious safety concern for homeowners who have purchased them.
Emery is urging residents to get a brand named smoke and carbon monoxide detector if they do not have one already. If uncertain about a detector, he says to call your local fire department with questions.
WBZ's Karyn Regal (Karynregal) has more:
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