Over the past year, house fires have killed over 200 people with over 70% not having a working Smoke Alarm

Over 70% of people killed last year in house fires did not have working smoke alarms. The government is urging people to test their smoke alarms  as it could be the difference between staying alive or dying. There will be a new government campaign launched in an attempt to make people aware that it is necessary to check that all smoke alarms are working.

Last year, more than half the deaths where victims aged 65+, so the campaign is aimed for young people to check elderly relatives and neighbours on a monthly basis. Smoke alarms have been proven to be a life saving tool however they are useless if they do not work with statistics saying you are 4 times more likely to die without a full working smoke alarm, so taking the time to check is a life saving decision.