Wing Street and Pizza Hut partnered with West Metro Fire Rescue to raise $2,500 for dual-sensor smoke alarms. West Metro Fire Rescue Engineers Marty Sugar and Vince Vidger helped deliver hot wings on Dec. 5 and raised $2,500 donated by the restaurant chain.

The money will be used to fund dual-sensor smoke alarms for low-income residents in West Metro's District. West Metro is beginning an educational campaign touting the benefits of a dual-sensor alarm over traditional, less expensive smoke alarms.

To better understand why the push for dual-sensor alarms, West Metro Fire Rescue offers this lesson in smoke alarms. There are two basic types of smoke alarms: 1) ionization; and 2) photoelectric.

IONIZATION: Most smoke alarms are ionization alarms. They tend to be the most popular and inexpensive types. These smoke alarms are very good at signaling the presence of a fire with high flames, but are much slower to detect smoky blazes. An ionization smoke detector uses a harmless radioactive source that sets up an electric current in the detector chamber; when smoke enters the chamber; the unit senses the change in electric current and sets off the alarm. These alarms are good at signaling for a sudden flash fire, like a kitchen fire.

PHTOTELECTRIC: Photoelectric smoke detectors are much more effective with smoky fires, but are not as effective with high-flame fires. Photoelectric alarms sound when the smoke is dense enough to deflect a beam of light. The best smoke detector, reviews say, has a combination ionization/photoelectric sensor that can detect both flaming and smoldering fires with equal speed and accuracy. These alarms are good at signaling for a fire that isn't as obvious, like an electric fire or smoldering fire caused by a discarded cigarette.

Therefore, fire departments like ours are praising the benefits of dual-sensor alarms and encouraging people to replace existing smoke alarms with the dual-sensor ones. And, many of these alarms have a permanently installed lithium battery, which is claimed to last 10 years so you don't need to replace your batteries twice a year.

Homes equipped with only one type of sensor are not nearly as effective as a dual alarm sensor. This is no small matter: Smoke alarms are meant to save lives and protect your home, and experts say they improve your chances of surviving a fire by 50 percent.

Experts say you should look for the following when choosing a smoke alarm:

· Choose a smoke alarm that uses a combination ionization/photoelectric sensor and is able to detect both flaming fires and slow, smoldering fires with equal speed and accuracy.

· Only consider a smoke alarm that meets UL (Underwriters Laboratory) standards. Most, but not all, models do.

· Smoke alarms should have a test button to ensure that alarms and sensors are operating correctly.

· Make sure the smoke alarm has a hinged or removable cover for easy cleaning; too much dust can cause a sensor to fail.

According to experts, all smoke alarms have a unit life of about ten years, so it's important to replace old units each decade. Units that use nine-volt batteries should have fresh batteries at least yearly, if not twice a year. We suggest replacing the batteries when you change your clocks each year for the start of daylight savings time. And, we recommend a smoke alarm on each floor of your home and outside each bedroom, or inside each bedroom if you can afford it.