DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Fewer people died in fires in 2004 than the year before, State Fire Marshal Jim Kenkel said.
Forty Iowans died last year, two fewer than 2003, Kenkel said.
The annual average over the past decade has been 44.
Kenkel said fire deaths are typically determined by the use of smoke detectors.
``Most fatalities occur in residences. One reason is that there is no smoke detector or a non-working detector in the home,'' he said. ``Either they have no battery, or the battery is dead.''
He said new talking detectors could make homes even safer.
West Des Moines Fire Lt. Mike Whitsell, who directed a local study, said alarms often fail to awaken children, even when placed near their heads. He said the experiments were done in three families about 11 p.m. after the third-graders had been asleep.
``Sleep specialists say that in that age group, the children are on the go, nonstop, and their bodies shut down when they go to sleep,'' he said.
Whitsell said the children responded, however, to voice commands from parents.
``We had a father yell to his son, 'Wake up now,' and the boy instantly sat up,'' Whitsell said. ``It was a conditioned response.''
Whitsell said safety instructors now advise families to give voice commands when alarms are activated.
Smoke detectors equipped with recordable voice commands could be widely available in 2005, Kenkel said.
``We cannot endorse any product, but we can let the public know the technology is coming and it may be promising,'' he said.
The statewide deaths in 2004 included two teenagers who were killed when a pipe bomb exploded in a barn near Palo.
Most deaths are caused by fires started from smoking or unattended candles or heating units, Kenkel said.
``About five elderly persons die each year from trash fires because their clothing catches fire,'' he said. ``Still, there are people who commit suicide by fire.''
Faulty furnaces have become less of a cause for fire and smoke inhalation deaths, he said.
State records show there were 24 fire deaths in 2002, a record low. The all-time high, 158, came in 1950.
