Castle Pines North resident, Dave Grewe

by Terri Wiebold

When Castle Pines North resident, Dave Grewe, moved into his new house in the spring of 2000, he could have never imagined the five-year journey he would take chasing down a problem with the faulty smoke detectors in his home.

Within the first six months of living on Stonemont Court, the smoke detectors in Grewe’s home began chirping periodically. Like any responsible homeowner, Grewe replaced the batteries in his detectors and continued on with life. The Eveready batteries Grewe used discharged quickly and required frequent replacement.

After a year of dealing with the on-and-off chirping, Grewe contacted Village Homes about the problem and requested they send an electrician out to his home to check the circuit, but the electrician found no problems. Finally, Grewe decided to try a different brand of battery in the smoke detectors. Not long after changing to Duracell batteries, Grewe heard a loud pop from one of the smoke detectors.

“It was loud enough to hear throughout the house,” said Grewe, “but I thought it was just a fluke thing.” Upon inspection, Grewe discovered the battery had actually exploded inside the smoke detector and left battery debris inside the unit. Before long, another smoke detector in the basement started chirping and “fizzling.” Grewe removed the battery and set it on the counter, only to have the bottom of the battery bust open, spraying battery acid on the wall. Last fall a third battery exploded in Grewe’s house. Realizing this was more than a fluke, Grewe began what would be his mission to find answers. He contacted Village Homes again, BRK Brands, Inc., and Duracell.

“I had all but given up when my dad in St. Louis called me and said he had seen an investigative report on a local news channel about a community of folks who were having the same problem,” Grewe said. He learned that an affiliate station in Philadelphia was doing a similar story, so Grewe contacted Channel 4 News locally and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Grewe then spoke with the Public Education Specialist for South Metro Fire Rescue (SMFR), Amy Teddy. According to Teddy, “This community owes a great deal of thanks to Mr. Grewe for all his efforts. He is an angel, and none of this would have been brought to the public’s attention without his perseverance.”

SMFR and Channel 4 News went door-to-door in Grewe’s neighborhood, but it was not until Teddy discussed the issue with the Castle Pines North Master Association that the thought-to-be isolated incident was revealed as much more. “They (The Master Association) are what put the fuel on the fire and got the word out,” said Grewe.

The Master Association posted the information on its web site and sent out a community-wide e-mail alert. “The morning after the web posting and the e-mail alert, I was inundated with calls,” said Teddy. “Without the Master Association notification, we would not be where we are today.” Since then, Channel 4 News has aired the story locally several times.

The Castle Pines North Master Association, in conjunction with SMFR, scheduled a special community meeting regarding this issue on May 18, at which Grewe volunteered to speak to residents about his experiences.

As for the next step for Grewe, he said, “My mission was to get the word out, and that has been accomplished. I only wish I had done something more about this a long time ago.” For anyone who has followed this story, it is clear that Grewe did far more than most would have done, and the residents of CPN and surrounding communities owe him great thanks!

For information about the affected smoke detector units or to file a report with the CPSC, go to www.cpnhoa.org.