Matt Covey says everyone should be using photoelectric smoke detectors, but only about 10 per cent of single-family homes in Covey’s district do. Covey, Halifax’s division chief of fire prevention, ...

You can buy a separate ionization smoke detector and a separate photoelectric smoke alarm. At most big retail stores, they run about $7 each. Manufacturers also offer dual-technology smoke alarms ...

Ionization detectors are the most common type of alarm. They sense fast-moving, flaming fires. "A flaming fire would be like a kitchen fire… something that flames up quicker," Vassar said.

Ionization smoke alarms are the oldest and most common type to find in a home. They are most effective at detecting open-flame fires, which Covey says were most common decades ago but have been ...

As for the home you’re currently in, experts recommend you invest in photoelectric smoke alarms in bedrooms and hallways, and leave the ionization smoke alarms in the kitchen, if at all. And ideally ...