AMDEA (www.amdea.org.uk), the UK trade association for manufacturers of large and small domestic appliances, has recently launched its online safety initiative, with smoke alarms heading the website’s general home safety tips.
The new portal, www.registermyappliance.org.uk, has been designed to make it easier for people to register all of their domestic appliances. This should ensure that manufacturers know where to find them if a safety repair is needed.
This move by the organisation follows recent news of the Government’s announcement of a £3 million fund to help provide thousands more tenants to have working smoke alarms, and for householders to test their smoke alarms when the clocks change on the 29th of March. Says the Government’s campaign, entitled ‘Fire safety in the home: Fire Kills’ (https://www.gov.uk/firekills): “We all lose an hour’s sleep – make sure you don’t lose more.”
The aim is that people should go to this website and follow the recommendations provided.
Last year, it is claimed, nearly one in seven people tested their smoke alarms when changing their clocks to British Summer Time. This spring, Fire Kills is aiming to ensure that even more people will keep their homes safer by testing their smoke alarms. Anybody can join in and pledge to test via the Fire Kills Facebook page or online and mobile phone adverts.
The reason for ‘Fire safety in the home: Fire Kills’ is that, last year over 200 people died in fires in the home, and that people are at least four times more likely to die in a fire in the home if there’s no working smoke alarm.
AMDEA’s top tip – an alarm on each level
As a top tip from AMDEA, its new ‘Register my appliance’ website urges householders to fit smoke alarms on each level of their home. Although a working smoke alarm is the best way to gain the time to escape if there is an accidental fire, for many people testing their alarm is low on their list of spring-cleaning priorities. Some even turn them off if there have been false alarms.
Commented Douglas Herbison Chief Executive, AMDEA: “We’re supporting this campaign and encouraging everyone to take a few seconds when they are changing their clocks to press the button to test their smoke alarm. Once the alarms are installed they are so easily forgotten.”
Echoing this, the Government’s Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser Peter Holland said: “Smoke alarms are a well-proven life saving tool, but they are no use if they are not working.
“You are at least four times more likely to die in a fire if you don’t have a working smoke alarm, so taking the time to test the smoke alarms in your home could be a truly lifesaving decision,” he emphasised.
Great take-up
AMDEA’s ‘Register my appliance’ campaign reached an audience of approximately 15 million during the January launch, with articles in over 150 print and online publications.
Much of this publicity was thanks to support from the 46 local fire and rescue services around the country, which are also distributing ‘Register my appliance leaflets’ to their local communities.
In addition, social media take-up has been increasing week on week and the Citizens Advice network is the latest organisation to pledge its support to make the public aware of the importance of registering their old and new appliances.
More about the alarm funding
Furthermore, Landlords will be affected. The Government’s funding will provide around 445,000 smoke and 40,000 carbon monoxide alarms, which will be free from fire and rescue authorities to private sector landlords whose properties currently do not have alarms.
All 46 fire and rescue authorities in England will receive alarms to distribute, according to the number of privately rented properties in their area.
Said Fire Minister Penny Mordaunt: Landlords have a duty of care to their tenants – and with people at least four times more likely to die in a fire in a home where there is no working smoke alarm, this is an important measure to ensure this is met.
“From October”, she said, “anyone renting out their home will need to ensure there is a smoke alarm on every floor of the home at the start of a tenancy.”
While the cost to landlords is small, it will also go a long way to increasing tenants’ confidence of their landlords and reducing the devastating impact and losses house fires can cause. Please use the link below to download ‘Guidance on fire safety provisions for certain types of existing housing’ (PDF – 1.6MB file size).