Mum's voice makes better smoke alarm for children

According to James Gallagher a health reporter and science correspondence for BBC News, adding a recording of a mother's voice to smoke alarms could save lives, according to US scientists. The study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found the modified alarms were more effective at waking children than conventional alarms. And they had the potential to buy vital seconds to escape a burning building. Fire chiefs welcomed the research, but said families should not worry about the alarms currently in their homes. The research team at the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Ohio said children were "remarkably resistant" to being woken up by sounds because they have longer and deeper sleep than adults.