We first introduced you to Firemole back in May and recently brought you the great news that they had kicked off their Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. The team down in Cork has sent us a Firemole to have a closer look and here’s what we thought.
What Is Firemole?
Firemole is a simple device that you can attach to phone, tablet or laptop charger or even directly to a smart device. Should they start to overheat, Firemole will detect the rise in temperature and warn you by beeping. It’s a simple idea that will certainly reduce the number of house fires in Ireland.
How Are Chargers Causing House Fires
In truth, all phone chargers can be dangerous. Official, manufacturer approved chargers, are much safer than those cheap chargers you find in markets and dodgy looking phone shops. Even so, leaving a phone charging on a bed can lead to devastating if not fatal consequences:
A fire tonight in a city apt caused by a charging device on a duvet. be safe, keep all gadgets away from your bed. pic.twitter.com/k2AewOB0On
— Dublin Fire Brigade (@DubFireBrigade) January 12, 2016
While genuine chargers pose a risk, this risk is dramatically increased when using knock-off phone chargers. These cheap chargers usually skip several quality control processes, hence the low cost.
Why Firemole is a Great Idea
Every home should have a smoke alarm. This is pretty basic home safety, but this still means a fire has to start before you can detect it. Firemole is designed to alert you when there is a higher risk of a fire because of a smart device, beeping as soon as your device or device charger exceeds 54 degrees. This is the temperature at which human skin can be damaged.
Testing the Firemole
After opening the packaging of the Firemole, it struck me that testing might be tricky and I didn’t really want to increase the likelihood of a fire in my apartment. I did find a way to test it out though, a test you can watch here:
While not quite as loud as a traditional smoke alarm, when activated, Firemole can be heard from 15 meters away. After testing it out, I can vouch for it; it’s hard to ignore it going off. The big plus here is that traditional fire and smoke alarms have to wait for ignition and fire to spread before alerting people to the danger. Firemole can begin alerting people when there’s an increased likelihood of fire.
But, There’s No App?
This is actually one of the best ideas the Firemole team had. While fire safety is important for everyone, it’s particularly important for older, vulnerable generations. Firemole doesn’t have an app, making the setup more appealing to all users. Here’s how to set the Firemole up:
- Remove from packaging
- Pull the plastic tab
- Remove the double-sided tape strip
- Stick to your device or charger
That’s how simple it is to install. While it’s possible that Firemole will develop an app down the line, for now, it’s a great fire prevention gadget with very low barriers to trying it out.
Should You Buy A Firemole?
This is, quite literally, a lifesaving gadget built in the heart of Cork. You can pickup a Firemole on Indiegogo for less than €15 each when bought in a pack of three, totalling €45. A small price to pay for such huge piece of mind.
