Fire Service says forward thinking can save lives

The Fire Service is encouraging householders to check they have working smoke alarms installed when they put their clocks forward for daylight saving, which starts at 2am this Sunday, 30 September.

Director of Fire Risk Management, Dr Paula Beever, says that research has shown that a large percentage of smoke alarms installed in homes do not work because they have flat batteries or no batteries. Just as concerning is the fact the Fire Service attended 3,371 residential fires last year of which 85% were identified as having no form of fire detection at all.

The start of daylight saving is a perfect time to check that smoke alarms are installed and they’re in good working order with fresh batteries.

``Some batteries need replacing every year to ensure the smoke alarms will work properly,’’ said Dr Beever. ``But if you still don’t have smoke alarms, make this the day to install some in your home - in every bedroom, hall and living area.’’

Smoke alarms act as an early warning device and give people a few crucial minutes’ warning to get out of the house quickly in the case of a fire.

``Fires start quietly and grow quickly. The average New Zealand home can be completely destroyed in less than four minutes. When you're asleep, you can't smell smoke and can't detect a fire. A smoke alarm sounding could be your first warning there is a fire.’’

The Fire Service recommends that smoke alarms should also be cleaned gently by vacuuming on a regular basis.