Only working smoke alarms save lives – test yours weekly #TestItTuesday

Smoke, the silent killer, is responsible for over half of all deaths in accidental fires in the home.

A working smoke alarm is the best way of preventing injury or death in a house fire. A smoke alarm can give people an early warning, giving you the extra seconds needed to escape.

Make your home safer:

  • Fit a smoke alarm on every floor of your home
  • Position smoke alarms on the ceiling – the hall or landing are good locations
  • Regularly check smoke alarms, make it part of your household routine:

Test it – by pressing the button once a week – it should make a loud bleeping noise

Change it – the batteries once a year if your smoke alarms have removable batteries

Clean it – dust the smoke alarm casing regularly to stop dust/dirt blocking the sensors

  • Never remove the smoke alarm batteries unless they are being replaced
  • Make sure everyone in your home knows how to escape in the event of a fire
  • Support your friends, family or neighbours to check their smoke alarms too

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter and we will remind you weekly to test your smoke alarm.

Smoke alarms – landlords and tenants:

If your home is rented then the new safety laws for landlords that came into force on 1 October 2015 make it compulsory for all landlords to fit smoke alarms in rented homes, and also to offer protection against carbon monoxide poisoning. Landlords must:

  • Fit at least one smoke alarm on each floor of the premises
  • Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in rooms containing solid fuel appliances
  • Check at start of new tenancy that alarms are working

Tenants are required to check that alarms are working regularly and notify landlord of problems.

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