31 December 2010

Make 2011 the year you start carrying out a quick weekly test on your smoke alarms to make sure they are working.

That’s the challenge from Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service, who are asking residents to add it to their list of New Year resolutions.

Community safety manager Terry Ridgley said: “Owning smoke alarms and hoping that they work is not enough to protect your home and family. It's easy to check them once a week by pushing the test button.

"Make it a habit, perhaps by tagging it on to another part of your household routine. For example, you could test your smoke alarms just before or after you put out your refuse and recycling for collection, or before breakfast every Saturday.

“Ask your children to do it if they are old enough, or to be responsible for reminding you.”

Research carried out in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes last year by the national Fire Kills campaign showed that although most people own smoke alarms, nearly three-quarters said they didn’t test them every week. This is despite the fact that you are more than twice as likely to die in an accidental house fire if you do not have a working smoke alarm.

Terry said: “After just two or three breaths of smoke from a fire you'll be unconscious - you probably know this from the advertisements on TV. The only way to buy more precious seconds to escape is by having working smoking alarms.”

Terry offered this simple checklist to help protect your home and family from the risk of fire:

• Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service offers FREE safety checks to identify potential fire risks in your home and advise what to do to reduce or prevent them. This includes FREE smoke alarms and FREE installation. Ring 01296 744477, email cs@bucksfire.gov.uk or visit www.bucksfire.gov.uk/bucksfire/free
  
  
• If you are fitting your own smoke alarms, fit one on each level of your home, at least 30 centimetres (12 inches) away from any wall or light fitting, at ceiling level. Battery-operated smoke alarm units should be replaced after 10 years. Consider installing a mains-powered alarm.
  
  
• Test alarms weekly - a smoke alarm can buy valuable time, if it’s working.
  
  
• Plan your escape route – make sure you and your family know the quickest way out in the event of fire. Consider an alternative route in case your usual one is blocked.
  
  
• Stay safe in the kitchen. This is the area where most house fires start. It only takes a minute to check electrical appliances are switched off. Never leave cooking unattended.
  
  
• If a fire does break out in your home, get out, stay out and call 999.