Abstract: An ambient condition detector can provide verbal feedback to a user or consumer indicative of an alarm condition being sensed beyond the existence of a predetermined alarm condition and/or location. Information pertaining to developing alarm conditions whether gas or fire, that are being sensed can be verbally fed back to the consumer either automatically or in response to incident infrared control signals directed to the detector by the consumer. Additional status and/or parametric information can be provided by the consumer in response to incoming infrared command signals.