CTV News spent an evening with a Manitoba family to find out if smoke alarms would be effective in waking up their children.
"If the kids don't wake up, then it's really up to us," said Mike Borkofsky.
With his three-year-old daughter Alyssa asleep in one room, and her 20-month-old brother Reece asleep in another room, Borkofsky tested out a smoke alarm.
The piercing sound from the alarm outside Alyssa's bedroom could be heard throughout the house, but she continued sleeping.
Her brother Reece also continued sleeping in his room.
"It's pretty loud. I thought a loud noise like that would've woken them up," said Mike Borkofsky.
"It's scary - kind of disturbing," said Shannon Borkofsky, the children's mother.
Manitoba's Fire Commissioner said the average person has only two minutes to get out before the smoke turns deadly in an actual fire.
Sleep experts said it's not surprising the children did not wake up when the smoke alarm sounded during the Borkofsky's test.
"For younger children, especially, fire alarms aren't meaningful to them," said Diana McMillan from the University of Manitoba.
Children are deeper sleepers than adults, said McMillan.
"The children spend more time in a slow-wave sleep and are much harder to (rouse) than adults," said McMillan.
The Borkofsky family said the fact the alarm didn't wake up their children is concerning.
"That could've been a real fire and they slept right through it," said Shannon Borkofsky.
Sleep experts said children are more likely to respond to their parents voices.
When Mike Borkofsky tried calling his daughter's name in her room, she stirred while sleeping.
While smoke alarms save lives, officials said it's up to parents to make sure their kids wake up.
"What we still say is the parents are ultimately still responsible for their young children. So once we hear these smoke alarms, go in, grab your children and get them out of the house immediately," said Troy Lamerz from the Brandon Fire & Emergency Services.
Fire officials said a smoke detector alarm should be installed in every bedroom, outside every sleeping area and on every level of a home.
- with a report from CTV's Josh Crabb
