The alarming truth about smoke alarms

No escape if there’s no alarm

Astonishingly, of all the smoke alarms fitted in British homes, almost one in ten don’t work.

Almost equally alarming is the fact that only about one in five of our homes even have a smoke alarm fitted, let alone the two or three that are considered necessary.

These are worrying facts when you learn that, in the course of a ‘normal’ year, there are more than 40,000 accidental house fires in England alone.

Yet smoke alarms are very easy to install. Most are battery driven, so there’s no need for unsightly wiring, or for the alarm to be sited near a power supply. The various types available work either by “seeing” or “smelling” the smoke, without which there’s usually no fire. Whichever type you choose, they must conform to British Standard 5466 and carry the BS kitemark.

Ideally, you should have a smoke alarm on every floor of your house. If yours is an especially large home, it’s advisable to have at least one fitted in every wing.

Once installed, it’s important to make regular checks of each alarm, to ensure that the batteries are working.

As well as fitting smoke alarms – and keeping them in working order – it’s also a good idea to have an escape plan, which everyone in your household knows about. In the event of a fire, everyone should then know how to get out of the building quickly.

The best route is usually the one you use to get into the house – probably via the front door. But it’s useful to have another route planned, just in case your first-choice route is blocked by the fire. Again, it’s important that everyone in your household, young and old alike, knows about the second-choice route.

Finally, as with so many things in life, prevention is better than cure. Do take care in the kitchen, especially if you’re cooking with hot oil. Do make sure lighted candles are secure in their candle holders. Keep matches and lighters out of the reach of children. And try to make sure all doors are closed at night. A draught can fuel a fire in a frightening way.

All of this advice should, of course, be taken as a matter of course. It is, however, surprising – even alarming – how few of us take these simple precautions.

Without them, you will not be protected from the fire that’s at the root of all detectable smoke.