C I P R I A N I

The State of California requires apartment units to have smoke alarms. This is a safety precaution and I totally support it. This is also a government solution (requirement of the installation of smoke alarms) to a problem (fires).

When I cook chicken, the smoke alarm usually goes off. When I cook salmon, the smoke alarm usually goes off. When I cook steak, the smoke alarm usually goes off. There is no fire and aside from the potential disappointment in the receiving party’s palette, there is no cause for alarm when I’m simply cooking. However, it seems when I prepare any kind of protein, save for cracking open a jar of Planter’s, the smoke alarm usually goes off.

The other day my wife returned from the grocery store and while I helped her put the groceries away, she started preparing dinner – a simple pasta dish. As I put the groceries away, save for the items she was using in the meal, she went into the living room for a few moments to play with our son. While I was putting the last of the items away, I began to smell smoke. And then I saw fire.

It seems that as my boy was running around and I was putting the food away, my wife had started to boil some water and a few moments later one of the empty eco-friendly bags that was on the stove erupted in flames.

I quickly grabbed the flaming bag, tried to stomp it out, but eventually had to pick it up and run it under the faucet to finally put the fire out completely. In short, we started a fire in our apartment. Thankfully, no one was hurt and there was no damage. But the smoke alarm never went off.

We had to put out the fire.

Now, to be clear: I am not saying that apartments shouldn’t have smoke alarms. I’m not saying smoke alarms are useless. What I’m saying is that I am completely in favor of smoke alarms, even though it did not prevent or put out the fire. In this particular circumstance, it didn’t even warn us about the fire. Heck, even after there was a bit of smoke after damping the flames – not a peep from the smoke alarm.

And still, I have no quarrel with smoke alarms being required in apartment units and I understand why they are there.

Smoke alarms are neither the problem nor the solution.