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Why bother Fitting a Smoke Alarm?
- Because you’re three times more likely to die in a house fire if you don’t have a working smoke alarm.
- Because most people who die in house fires don’t have a working smoke alarm.
- Did you know that there are around 63,000 house fires in the UK every year? That around 500 people are killed every year? And that another 14,000 people are injured?
- If you have a fire in your home, a smoke alarm will buy you valuable time. Time to put your escape plan into action. Time to get your family to safety.
Modern smoke alarms are neat and unobtrusive. They cost from as little as £5 and you can get them from supermarkets and in high-street stores, or to get a free one fitted with 10 year batteries, call 0800 169 0320 for a free Home Safety Check.
Your local firefighters will also know of groups that can give advice and help in supplying and fitting safety equipment for older people, and people with disabilities and other special needs.
Where should I fit a Smoke Alarm?
If your home is on one level – a flat or bungalow – fix it to the ceiling in the hallway,
between the living room and bedrooms.
For extra safety, fit alarms in the bedrooms.
Don’t fix it on walls or shelves. Don’t fit it too
near the kitchen door – smoke alarms can be
set off by steam and cooking fumes.
If your home has more than one floor, fit one alarm at the bottom of the stairs and another
on each upstairs landing.
Fitting your Smoke Alarm
Fit an alarm within 7 metres (22 feet) of the living room door and 3 metres (9 feet) of a
bedroom door. It should be at least 300mm
(12 inches) from any wall, light or heating
air-conditioning vent.
Test the alarm to check that you can hear it all
through the house. If you can’t hear it, move it or buy more alarms.
Testing your Smoke Alarm
Around 1 in every 5 smoke alarms fail to work because they don’t have a battery, or because
the battery is flat.
Test your smoke alarm every week. If the alarm doesn’t work, fit a new battery. If it still doesn’t work, buy a new alarm.
If your alarm is bleeping from time to time, change the battery. Change the battery once a year, even if it’s still working. Do it on a day you’ll always remember. Another birthday, another battery. New Year, new battery. Keep a spare battery handy.
Clean your smoke alarm. Gently vacuum the inside and outside casing once a year, when you change the battery.
And remember that smoke alarms don’t last
for ever. You’ll need a new one every 10 years.
Special Needs
There are special alarms for older people, and for people with disabilities and other special
needs:
- Mains powered smoke alarms that have back-up batteries
- Vibrating pads and/or flashing lights that warn people with hearing impairments
Always fit a smoke alarm in the bedroom of a person who smokes in bed, or who uses an electric blanket.
And people who may need assistance in escaping in a fire must have some means of calling for help. Systems include:
- A buzzer or intercom
- A telephone with an automatically dialled emergency number
- A private or local authority assistance alert scheme
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