The Importance of Smoke Alarms

Smoke alarms can be annoying.  They have an annoying habit of going off when we don’t want them to and making a really horrible noise.  If they don’t do that, they can sit there on the ceiling and be completely forgotten about.  They are also incredibly important.  Neglecting, or worse, disconnecting your smoke alarm is a very bad idea and here’s why:

Why they are so Important

You and your family are 50% less likely to die in a fire if you have a smoke alarm.  Isn’t that reason enough?  With so much modern furniture being made of man-made fabrics, fires can spread very quickly so it’s vital you receive the earliest warning possible if a fire breaks out in your home.  The prevalence of electronic devices and the tendency for people to overload old electrical systems or individual plug sockets with modern technology increases the risk of fires.  Fortunately, smoke alarms are inexpensive, effective and last a long time with very little maintenance.

Check Regularly

One thing to do right now while you’re reading this is to go and check your smoke alarm, if you have one.  If you don’t, either order one online immediately or contact your landlord or letting agent to have one installed as soon as possible.  Smoke alarms run on batteries and these can run out over time.  That’s why it’s important to check yours regularly and change the battery if necessary.  Make a note in your diary or on your phone to check the smoke alarm again in a month’s time.

Replace

The fire service recommend changing smoke alarms every ten years but, if you find yourself getting really annoyed with yours for going off when it shouldn’t or if you’ve ever disabled it for going off too much, you might want to replace it with a newer one as the technology has improved and is better at distinguishing between cooking smoke and house fire smoke.

Carbon Monoxide

If you have gas central heating, it is well worth getting a carbon monoxide alarm too.  They are also inexpensive and can detect levels of carbon monoxide in the air long before they get to dangerous levels.  There were 53 deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning in 2015 according to the ONS and around 4,000 hospital or doctor visits as a result of inhaling fumes so it is well worth investing in an alarm or asking your letting agent or landlord about one.

Smoke alarms can protect your property and your life for a small amount of money and a tiny bit of effort.  They’re thoroughly worth it.  If you rent a property from us and have any concerns about smoke or fire alarms in your property, please just give us a ring on 01273 917791 and we’ll look into it for you.