Fire Kills - but YOU can prevent it. That is the leading campaign message championed in unison by government and the UK's Fire and Rescue Services. It is a message that is being heard loud and clear, and with increasing effect - in 2005 deaths caused by fire in the UK were down to their lowest level for 46 years.
The reason for this impressive decrease is obvious when you look at the government's fire statistics. Figures show that there are now more homes fitted with smoke alarms than ever before in the UK. Compared with 20 years ago this represents a ten-fold jump in smoke alarm ownership.
Still, there is much work to do in terms of promoting smoke alarm awareness. Not only are hundreds of thousands of homeowners and tenants exposed to fire hazards without any sort of smoke alarm device installed in their properties, but a significant number of householders who do have alarms fail to maintain their units, or even check that they are working properly. Is it time you had a look at your smoke alarm needs?
Choosing a smoke alarm
There are essentially two types of smoke alarm on the market today - ionisation alarms and optical alarms.
Ionisation alarms are the cheapest and most readily available. They are highly sensitive to smoke particles and will sound the alarm whenever a threshold number of particles enter the unit's ionisation chamber. But be warned - these types of alarms are easily set off by extraneous smoke from cooking. It is therefore best to place any ionisation alarm that you have well away from the kitchen area, otherwise you may find yourself constantly wafting a tea towel at it!
Optical smoke alarms are the alternative. These units sense fire by using an infrared emitting diode and photo diode to detect smoke particles entering the diode housing chamber. When the light beams are broken the alarm sounds.
For smouldering fires, such as those that involve the burning of foam-filled furniture, optical smoke alarms are the best. They can pick up on these sorts of fires much more quickly than an ionisation unit can.
Fire safety officers do recommend that both types of alarm be installed in your property. But, if you can't afford both, one alarm is better than none!
When making your choice you should also consider the volume of the alarm. All alarms have a a decibel (dBA) rating. This generally ranges from 55dBA (quietest) to 90dBA (loudest). In a normal situation where the alarm is needed to wake healthy adults from a deep sleep at 4am, an alarm of 55dBA to 65dBA will do the job. But, if you are hard of hearing a louder alarm is recommended.
Just to be sure that your smoke alarm will wake you from a deep sleep it is worth testing it out in your own home. You could have someone set off the alarm during the night to see if or how quickly you wake up. If you sleep through the noise, you need a louder alarm!
Positioning your smoke alarm
As smoke always rises a smoke alarm performs best if it is secured to the ceiling. Ideally, you should have at least one smoke alarm per floor of your property. These should be located in common access areas, such as on your landing and hallway or at the foot of your stairs.
For total peace of mind it is worth considering positioning a smoke alarm in every room where there is a large electrical appliance. This includes lounge areas and bedrooms.
Once installed, check your smoke alarms on a regular basis. Use the 'test' button on the alarm unit to make sure it is in good working order every week; change the battery every year, and replace the units completely at least once every ten years. Oh, and if you have the decorators in, do make a special effort to check your alarm after they've gone. If there's been dust flying about they might have removed the battery to stop it constantly going off.
Remember - a smoke alarm is only of any use if it actually works!
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