Will the fire department check my smoke alarms?

Having an appropriate amount of smoke alarms installed in your premises (home or place of work) is really important to ensure that fire safety is always up-kept. In most dwellings such as home, a smoke alarm on each floor is more than enough however, in larger buildings such as bigger homes, workspaces and offices, you may need additional smoke alarms installing.

Statistics show that in the year 2018/2019, 25% of dwelling fires that were attended didn’t have a smoke alarm installed. In the same time period, there were 196 fatalities in dwellings where a smoke alarm wasn’t present. Statistics such as these highlight the obvious correlation between not having a smoke alarm and the increased risk of fatality in the event of a fire.

Fire warden

Fire safety is really important to uphold and can easily be monitored. As an employer, you have a duty to ensure health and safety standards are met which is why many businesses assign a fire safety warden. Appointing a fire warden means that you have an individual whose responsibility it is to monitor and up-keep all fire related safety measures. Their role also involves ensuring the well being of all employees is measured and that the safety of the building is monitored.

All employees within a business should be trained in fire safety at work. This role would likely fall under the fire warden who will make sure training is delivered in fire safety. Their role would also involving keeping all escape routes visible and clear, making sure a fire risk assessment has been conducted and ensuring the business has adequate fire safety tools such as fire extinguishers and fire blankets. Fire drills are also an important part of fire safety.

When it comes to ensuring you have an adequate smoke alarm fitted within your premises, you should always check you have one that is suitable for your building. There are a number of alarms available on the market which include battery alarms, mains alarms, heat alarms, optical and combined alarms. Once you have determined the type of fire alarm that you require (battery and mains alarms are most common), you should then arrange for them to be installed as soon as possible.

Benefits of a smoke alarm

A correctly installed smoke alarm is arguably one of the most effective means of maintaining fire safety. They are cost effective and display early detection and are usually the first step towards raising the alarm and getting everybody out of the building quickly.

Almost 7,000 primary fires were attended to that didn’t have a smoke alarm present in the year 2019/2020. In the same year, there were 52 fatalities and over 1,000 casualties. With this, it is so important to ensure that you have a smoke alarm installed and regularly check that it works.

What do the fire services do?

A ‘safe and well’ visit is usually the first step that is carried out by the fire and rescue services. They conduct an initial assessment to carry out an overview of the premises and can fit a range of fire interventions such as smoke alarms and fire detectors to help keep you safe.

You can visit the website of your local fire rescue services and reach out to them to make arrangements to visit your property and assess the fire safety of it. This often gives peace of mind as you have a professional opinion regarding the safety of your building whilst also having the appropriate equipment installed.

Below is an example of our local Fire and Rescue Service:

Book a safety visit - South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue (syfire.gov.uk)