Winding your clocks back one hour this weekend, as daylight saving ends Saturday night, means it is a good time to check your smoke alarms, say firefighters.
Fire Rescue commissioner Gavin Freeman says: “Smoke alarms provide a vital early warning to help you and your family escape. Fires can engulf an entire room in just minutes and smoke will not wake you up.”
Freeman says it’s important to not only install smoke alarms in all bedrooms, living areas and hallways, but to test them regularly.
“To test your smoke alarm, simply press the ‘test’ button for about three seconds. If you don’t hear three beeps it’s a good sign the battery or smoke alarm needs replacing,” he says.
“All smoke alarms should be replaced after 10 years, and those with replaceable batteries should be changed yearly.”
Last year CFA firefighters attended 870 residential fires and tragically, four of those ended with lives lost, which could have been prevented say officials.
When checking, installing, or replacing your smoke alarms, FRV and CFA recommend:
- Smoke alarms should be installed in every bedroom and living area.
- Smoke alarms must be located between each bedroom area and the rest of the house. Install a smoke alarm on each level of the house.
- Recommend the use of smoke alarms powered by a 10-year long-life battery.
- All smoke alarms should be replaced after 10 years.
- Smoke alarms should be interconnected, so that when any alarm activates, all smoke alarms will sound.
- Smoke alarms should be installed on the ceiling at least 30cm from the wall.
- Smoke alarms should be tested monthly. Press the test button until the alarm sounds.
- Smoke alarms should be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner at least once a year.
- Replaceable batteries in a smoke alarm need to be changed yearly.
