In partnership with the National Fire Chiefs Council’s monthly Fire Kills campaign, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) is urging residents to consider purchasing more smoke alarms for their homes this January.
Speaking on the campaign, Nicola Smith, Prevention Manager at RBFRS, said: “The latest fire statistics show that you are around 12 times more likely to die in a fire if you do not have a working smoke alarm in your home.
“Make sure that a smoke alarm is installed on every level of your home, including inhabited loft rooms. Position them in suitable places such as on the ceilings at the bottom of the stairs and on each stair landing. Additional smoke detectors can be fitted in rooms with electrical appliances, i.e. studies, utility rooms.
“Remember to test them once a week to check that they are in good working order”.
To ensure you and your property are protected, please follow our safety advice:
- Purchase more smoke alarms – there should be one installed on every level of your home.
- Place them at the bottom of the stairs and on each stair landing – the ideal position is on the ceiling, as near as possible to the centre of the room, hallway or landing.
- Avoid placing them in kitchens and bathrooms, where small amounts of smoke or steam could accidentally set them off.
- Test your smoke alarms weekly, to make sure they are still working.
- Take some time to check on vulnerable relatives and neighbours by testing their smoke alarms for them and making sure they have one installed on every level of their home.
- Change the batteries of your smoke alarms once a year (unless it is a ten-year alarm or a mains-wired alarm).
- Gently vacuum around the alarms twice a year, to remove excess dust
- Ensure that you replace the entire smoke alarm every 10 years – for both battery-operated and mains-wired smoke alarms.
For more information, please see our Smoke Alarms safety webpage.