Smoke alarms in your property.
Fact: You’re twice as likely to die in a fire in your house if you don’t have a working smoke alarm.
Fact: 90 people die each year because the battery in their smoke alarm was flat or missing.
Every property should be fitted with a smoke alarm.
With a new build property or a conversion, the fitting of a smoke alarm or a CO2 Alarm may be required under the building regulations. All existing stock should at the least have the benefit of a battery powered smoke alarm.
Test the battery in your smoke alarm every week, and replace it at least once a year. Test the battery by pressing the button until the alarm sounds. If it doesn’t, the battery is flat and need replacing. If the smoke alarm beeps regularly, the battery is running low, and should be replaced as soon as possible.
Have one on the ceiling on every level of your house, ideally in the middle of a room, or on the hallway and landing, so you can hear it throughout the building. You can have linked alarms, so when one goes off, they all do.
Don’t position them in or near bathrooms or kitchens, as cooking and steam can set them off accidentally, which is when you might be tempted to remove the battery, and forget to put them back in.
11th October 2010