Homeowners urged to install smoke alarms

Press, 25 February 1987, Page 41

Homeowners urged to install smoke alarms

PA Wellington The New Zealand Fire Service and the Building Research Association urge homeowners to install smoke alarms in their houses because of the alarms’ potential to save lives. In the latest BRANZ bulletin homeowners were recommended to install

one or two smoke alarms, at a cost of $4O each. Once installed, the only further action needed was a regular weekly check of the battery, and a monthly check of the alarm’s continued effectiveness. “If people are asleep in a house when a fire starts, or in another part of the

house, an effective smoke alarm will give warning which allows that vital extra time for the house to be vacated before the fire reaches the fatal points,” the bulletin said. The article quoted the Fire Service as estimating that only 2 per cent of New Zealand households have smoke alarms. “Even if only a few lives are saved each year, the effort is worth while,” the article said. “Alarms should not just be installed and ignored. They should be regularly checked and maintained to ensure that they remain effective, and the household should have an escape route planned so that occupants can get out quickly.”