Change your clocks and check your smoke alarms
The clocks go back an hour at 2 a.m. this Sunday, October 25. So remember to change them….and check your smoke alarms too!
Over half the people who die in fires in the home are aged 65 and over
2-3 breaths of toxic smoke can render you unconscious
37% of deaths happened in homes where no smoke alarm was fitted
1 in three battery alarms fail to work in fires, usually because the battery was dead or intentionally removed
Last year 226 people died in house fires. A working smoke alarm can help save lives and drive this number down
A working smoke alarm can buy your older relative the valuable time they need to get out of the way of a fire and call 999
The Fire Kills campaign is determined to prevent as many deaths as possible and make sure people test their alarms when the clocks change on 31 March
Many people will already have a list of household tasks and DIY plans for the long weekend, so it’s the perfect opportunity to add this simple quick check on to the list
Fire Minister Brandon Lewis said:
“The simple act of testing your smoke alarm could save the lives of the ones you love. But a working alarm is something you don’t notice until you need it, and we all know it’s easy to forget to test. That’s why we’re reminding people that it’s time to test, linking the twice-yearly clock change with this simple life-saving step”
”Last year, 1 in 7 people tested their smoke alarms when they changed their clocks and many needed to replace them or change the batteries. Let’s make it a nationwide habit. ”
