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Original poster

Do you have smoke alarms in your house?......When did you change batteries?.......When did you last test them?

43 replies

RTKangaMummy · 26/09/2006 12:08

Please do it today.

OP posts:
alexsmum · 26/09/2006 12:11

and if you haven't got them, phone your local fire station and they will come and install ones with 10 year batteries for free.

NomDePlume · 26/09/2006 12:12

Yes I have smoke alarms

They run off the mains with a battery back up.

DH set them off at the weekend making cheese on toast for the kids, so I know they work

lulumama · 26/09/2006 12:12

yes, had firemen ( lovely hunky ones too!) come over last winter and do check and give us 3 new alarms with 10 yr batteries....excellent advice RT & ALexsmum....

hulababy · 26/09/2006 12:12

We have 3 - one on each floor. All are run of the mains with battery back up. One on first floor gets tested every time DH cooks bacon!

waterfalls · 26/09/2006 12:13

Mine go off every timwe I use the grill, hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm pehaps its time to clean the grill

alligator · 26/09/2006 12:14

lol just what I was going to say Waterfalls

Original poster
RTKangaMummy · 26/09/2006 12:14

Smoke alarms
Fit a smoke alarm. This fire safety measure could save your life. You can get one for under £5 from a DIY, electrical or hardware shop. Some garages and supermarkets also sell them.

Push the button! Not your luck!
We're backing the government campaign - Push the button! Not your luck! - to remind you to test your smoke alarms and smoke alarm batteries. Around 80% of homes now have a smoke alarm, but there's no point in having one if it doesn't work.

In 2002, firefighters in England and Wales attended over 5,000 accidental house fires where alarms were fitted but failed to work. Find out more about the campaign on the DCLG's website (formerly ODPM).

Follow our simple tips for buying and fitting a smoke alarm:
Buy a smoke alarm that complies with the British Standard or equivalent international standard.
Follow the manufacturers' instructions to fit it.
Fit the alarm between the living areas and the bedrooms. Ideally, you should fit one in every room except the kitchen and bathroom.
Make sure you can hear it throughout your home, especially in the bedrooms.
Test your smoke alarm each week by using the test button.
Change the battery every year or when you need to.
At the same time, use your vacuum cleaner to get rid of any dust inside it.
Replace the battery in your smoke alarm if the low battery warning sounds (an intermittent bleep) - replace the battery with a new one as soon as you can.
Free home fire safety checks
We're offering free home fire safety checks in your borough and free smoke alarms to those people who need them. Find out more about our Be Safe & Sound campaign.

Smoke alarms for the deaf
You can also buy smoke alarms that have a vibrating pad or a flashing light if you have difficulty hearing. You can get more information from the Royal National Institute for the Deaf on 020 7296 8000.

Send an ecard
Why not send your friends and family a reminder to buy a smoke alarm by sending them an ecard? It might help to save their lives!

Remember a smoke alarm is useless if it doesn't have a battery or the battery is flat.

OP posts:
Gobbledigook · 26/09/2006 12:15

We have 3.

Dh tests them regularly - he checked them all on Sunday.

We change the batteries every new year.

jessicaandrebeccasmummy · 26/09/2006 12:15

Ours work. Just tested them. only crappy battery ones but they might just save our lives one day.

Joolstoo · 26/09/2006 12:15

our run off the mains too

Original poster
RTKangaMummy · 26/09/2006 12:16

Deffo brill everyone

OP posts:
Piffle · 26/09/2006 12:16

test weekly - ours are mains powered with battery back up and bleep when batt is low, we are never without replacement batteries
it smy bug bear too
The kids also know safe routes out

CheesyFeet · 26/09/2006 12:31

We have them at home. Our work ones have just gone off as someone burned toast in the kitchen

We are all awake now.

FeelingOld · 26/09/2006 12:32

Jessica - nothing wrong with battery smoke detectors as long as they have a battery in them.

Just to push things on a bit further also tell your kids what to do if they hear them go off, especially at night eg about opening closed doors safely etc.

Dh is a firefighter and insists on questioning our kids regularly about what to do, but the few minutes spent doing this may save your life one day.

Part of every firefighters duty is fire prevention and safety so if you do not have/can not fit detectors yourself give your local station a ring and a lovely firefighter will fit them for you or if you need advice about where to fit them, escape route or making a fire plan give them a call too, but do it now while you remember, don't put it off til next week.

saggarmakersbottomknocker · 26/09/2006 12:45

Agree with FO. Make sure your kids know their escape route.

My dh is a firefighter too FeelingOld. We're under threat of strike action at the moment due to downgradings of pumps/stations. How's things with your dh's brigade?

FeelingOld · 26/09/2006 14:33

An emergency union meeting has been called at dh station this week cos of wanting to change work patterns ie longer time on station-less time on call (dh station is only day manned so work 4 days on 4 days off and on call from 5.30pm to 8am from home on days on IYSWIM).
Hope they don't strike, can't afford it with xmas coming up.

CountessDracula · 26/09/2006 14:41

We have things called fire angels which attach to light fittings and take power from them so need no fixing to wall etc

saggarmakersbottomknocker · 26/09/2006 14:41

Me neither. Ballot paper in the post this morning.

They're looking to cut pumps here and make some retained. There are places in Staffs dh wouldn't live as the cover is so poor. It's bad news.

Blackduck · 26/09/2006 14:43

when did I test it? - this morning when I burnt the toast

Pixiefish · 26/09/2006 14:45

i have the fire angels as well. rechargeable batteries that charge off the lights

CountessDracula · 26/09/2006 14:46

pixiefish do you ever get any false alarms? I never seem to (mind you i nearly always cook with the doors to the hall shut)

KBear · 26/09/2006 14:49

Bought new batteries today after the upstairs woke me up at 5.30 beeping.

We are going to discuss with the kids what to do if there is a fire and make a plan - now they are old enough.

Also can I mention locked windows?? Stick the key to a piece of Blu-Tak up high on the window frame (ie where the kids can't reach but you can if you need to get out). I wonder how many window keys are in the drawer downstairs?

My DB is a firefighter so I think about escape routes etc quite alot! We have a ladder in our bedroom down the side of the wardrobe - primarily to use to get in the loft of also to get out if we had to.

Original poster
RTKangaMummy · 26/09/2006 15:04

I am glad that so many of you have FIRE EXCAPE PLANS too

Do you have a FIRE BLANKET in the kitchen too???

.

OP posts:
Gingerbear · 26/09/2006 15:08

Yes we do, and they 'tweet' at us when the battery needs changing. Or we test them regularly by burning toast/ sausages etc.

Gingerbear · 26/09/2006 15:08

We have a fire extinguisher in the kitchen.

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