Which smoke detector type responds faster to flaming fires?

The ionization smoke detector is designed to detect particles generated by combustion, specifically those produced during flaming fires. This type of detector uses ionization technology, which involves a small amount of radioactive material that creates ions in the air; when smoke particles enter the sensing chamber, they disrupt the ion flow, triggering the alarm. Flaming fires typically produce a lot of small combustion particles, which makes ionization detectors particularly effective in responding quickly to these types of fires.

On the other hand, photoelectric detectors are generally more responsive to smoldering fires that produce larger smoke particles, such as those generated by materials burning slowly. Heat detectors activate based on temperature changes rather than smoke presence, making them less effective for early detection of flaming fires. Manual fire alarms require human intervention to activate, so they cannot automatically detect fire without human involvement. Thus, the ionization smoke detector is particularly adept at quickly responding to flaming fires due to its sensitivity to the combustion particles they produce.