mitch blatcher put it through the test. >> we're looking at the difference between ionization and firehnology. 96% of us have one of those in our homes but few families have both. >> reporter: raj never bumpus knows how fires can devastation. this year his mom's house is us go replaced by pinwheels and flowers. >> if i've got to go, i don't want to go in no fire. >> reporter: his mom and grant daughter were found together in this home holding each other. >> reporter: he bought four ionization detectors suing the company because they never sounded. >> in fires every second matters. >> reporter: they showeds how different alarm technologies are better at detecting different types of fires. >> one is going to be a smoldering fire the other a flaming fire. >> reporter: kirby kerber and his team put two oeft the most ones. ionization like the kind bum pos said he bought and photo electric. >> ien nation takes smoke in and photo electric responds to light. >> first we created a fire of smoke without a lot of heat. the photo electric should detect the fire first and it does. >> that's photo e