Below, we outline how you can improve your house safety with fire alarms.
Make sure your fire alarm is working properly
It’s extremely important to ensure you not only have a fire alarm fitted in your home, but that it is operating.
These must be installed by competent contractors.
The Government campaign “Fire Kills” underlines, “you are around 8 times more likely to die from a fire if you don’t have a working smoke alarm in your home.”
Statistics below show the risk to life posed by fire is a real threat. (bafe. org)
Most fires at home start accidentally. Taking some time to understand why fires start in the first place, and what you can do to prevent them, will help keep you, other people and your property safe.
The most common reason for the fire
- Cooking accidents
- Faulty electrics (appliances, wiring and overloaded sockets)
- Heaters and electric blankets
- Candles
- Cigarettes
How to protect your home from fire
Fire is extremely dangerous, so make sure you take all necessary steps to protect your home.
Protection from the fire to-do list
- Fit and test smoke alarms
- Register appliances
- Plan your escape
- Make a bedtime check
- Consider a free home safety visit
Different types of smoke alarms
A smoke alarm is the most common, and very often the best way to alert you about the fire. If you live in Scotland, you must have a smoke alarm fitted on your property. That’s the law.
OK, but there are plenty of fire alarms on the market. How should I know which should I pick?
Foremost, don’t rush to buy the cheapest one. Your life is a precious value, so be careful to choose the right alarm for the right location to avoid false alarms.
Ionisation fire alarms
Ionisation alarms contain specific ionisation sensor chambers, which detect smoke small particles, which are usually produced by a fast-burning flame, such as fabric commonly found in the bedroom.
Only when enough smoke particles have entered the ionisation chamber, will the alarm sound. Ionisation alarms are best located in a bedroom, this is because they can be prone to false alarms and oversensitivity, such as fumes found in the kitchen.
Optical fire alarms
Optical alarms are very common in households and suitable for most locations in the home. They work by using optical sensors and an infra-red beam that detects smoke quickly.
They will detect most fires, including slow-burning fires and are not oversensitive either, so are less likely to cause false alarms. Furthermore, they are best located in hallways, living rooms, landings, bedrooms and dining rooms.
Heat alarms
Heat alarms operate differently to smoke alarms, as they only detect extreme changes in the temperature of the room using a built-in thermometer. When the alarm detects a sharp increase in temperature, similar to that which you would get with a sudden, fast-burning fire, it will sound an alarm.
They are ideal for kitchens as they trigger only if the temperature is above the average. During cooking, the temperature in the kitchen rise, so they are less likely to cause false alarms. Heat alarms should only ever be used in the kitchen.
Combined optical smoke and heat alarms
Multi-sensor alarms can react to all types of fires, quickly and efficiently. They combine multiple kinds of sensors, including optical and heat, to create the ideal combination to protect your home.
However, despite a multi-sensor alarm (including heat alarms), it should never be used in the kitchen. You should only use heat alarms in the kitchen to reduce the chance of false alarms. Multi-sensor alarms are best suited for hallways, landings, dining rooms, bedrooms.
The safest measure to protect their homes.
The British Standard BS 5839-6 regulation states that all new dwellings should be equipped with a hardwired and interlinked fire alarm system with battery backup as the minimum recommendations. That means at least a Grade D Category LD3 standard. This includes at least one alarm in all circulation areas such as hallways and landings as the minimum protection.
Current BS 5839-6 Code of Practice states that all fire alarms in the dwelling should be interlinked. This is because you can be alerted of smoke or fires much earlier than if they were not linked. When one unit sounds an alarm, the rest of the alarms will be triggered too.
Interlinked or radio linked alarms should all still have a battery backup, which can supply up to 72 hours of power in the event of any power cuts.
Smoke alarm maintenance
It’s recommended that you test the alarms in a dwelling every month, replace the backup batteries every year, and replace the alarm itself every 10 years. You should also dust your fire alarms every 6 months, so the sensors do not get blocked.
And if you require a further assistance fitting fire alarms in your property, do not hesitate to give us a ring.