Dorset firefighters ask 'do you have enough smoke alarms?'

Firefighters in Dorset are asking people across the county to check if they have an appropriate number of working smoke alarms in our homes.

There's a push from Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue (DWFRS) for households to ensure they're protected this New Year.

We're asked to fit and regularly test a smoke alarm on every level of our homes.

It comes as a survey's found 93% of properties have at least one working smoke alarm, but it only alerted households to a blaze in England in 47% of cases.

The most common reason was that a smoke alarm was 'out of range' of the actual fire.

Safe & Well Manager at DWFRS, Sarah Moore said:

“Regularly testing and making sure there are enough smoke alarms is extremely important. If you don’t have enough, or they’re not in the right place, you might not be alerted in time.

Not just this, but smoke alarms don’t last forever and regularly need to be checked to ensure they are working as they should. They provide vital warnings to help reduce the devastation a fire in the home can cause.”

Tips from the fire service include:

• Install at least one smoke alarm on every level of your home

• Fit your smoke alarms in the right place. The ideal position is on the ceiling, in the middle of a room or on a hallway or landing

• Consider fitting additional alarms in other rooms where there are electrical appliances and near sleeping areas

• Don’t put alarms in or near kitchens and bathrooms where smoke or steam can set them off by accident

• Replace your smoke alarms every ten years

We're also urged to check the smoke alarms fitted in the homes of elderly or vulnerable relatives too.

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