AN MD80 CREW; ENRTE DFW; WERE INFORMED BY A FLT ATTENDANT THAT A REAR LAVATORY SMOKE ALARM WAS HEARD BY THE CABIN CREW DURING THIS AND PREVIOUS LEG OF THEIR DFW TO BDL TURNAROUND.

Narrative

OUR CREW WAS FLYING A HARTFORD TURNAROUND ON JAN/TUE/02; WITH 3 SENIOR FLT ATTENDANTS. WE HAD THE SAME SUPER 80 FOR BOTH LEGS WITH 1 HR AND 18 MINS SCHEDULED ON THE GND IN HARTFORD. ABOUT 1 HR AND 30 MINS FROM DFW ON OUR RETURN LEG THE FO WAS IN THE CABIN USING THE LAVATORY. A FLT ATTENDANT WHO WAS WORKING THE MAIN CABIN; TOLD THE FO THAT THEY HAD BEEN HEARING A LAVATORY SMOKE ALARM SOUND EVER SINCE WE LEFT DFW; AND SHE SUSPECTED THAT IT WAS COMING FROM THE L AFT LAVATORY. THE FO RELAYED THE INFO TO ME WHEN HE RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT. I WAS SURPRISED THAT THE FLT ATTENDANTS DID NOT NOTIFY ME ABOUT THE SMOKE ALARM. I CALLED TO THE BACK ON THE INTERPHONE TO SPEAK TO THE FLT ATTENDANT WHO HAD INFORMED THE FO ABOUT THE SMOKE ALARM. I EXPRESSED TO HER THE IMPORTANCE OF INFORMING THE FLC OF THE SMOKE ALARM ACTIVATION; AND ALSO CHKING THE LAVATORY TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE WASN'T ANY FIRE. HER REACTION TO ME INDICATED THAT SHE DIDN'T SHARE MY CONCERN FOR A POSSIBLE HAZARD ON BOARD THE ACFT. ESPECIALLY HER UNWILLINGNESS TO CHK A LAVATORY EVEN IF IT IS OCCUPIED. IN OUR CURRENT ENVIRONMENT WITH TERRORIST THREATS A REALITY; CHKING THE LAVATORY WHEN IT IS OCCUPIED IN THE EVENT OF A SMOKE ALARM BEING ACTIVATED IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. I SHOWED THE FLT ATTENDANTS THE FIRE EMER SECTION OF THE S80 MANUAL. 1 FLT ATTENDANT IN PARTICULAR WAS ARGUMENTATIVE ON MY INSISTENCE THAT SHE CHK A LAVATORY WHEN IT IS OCCUPIED FOR A POSSIBLE FIRE.