Fire service warns about cost of living crisis impact on smoke alarms
Residents have been warned not to try and cut the cost of smoke alarm batteries during the ongoing recession.
Hereford and Worcester Fire Service told homeowners and tenants trying to reduce energy bills could have implications for fire safety.
The Fire Service want people to fit smoke alarms on every level of their home and to test them regularly.
A fire service spokesman said: "Many people see January as an opportunity to look ahead, and that should include fire safety.
"So, this month HWFRS is encouraging everyone to make sure they have enough smoke alarms in the home and that they work."
The spokesman added: "The latest fire statistics reveal that one smoke alarm may not be enough to provide you with the best chance of escaping a fire in the home, while research shows that only 26 per cent of all households who own an alarm test them on a regular basis.
"It’s clear that most people know a working smoke alarm can save lives by providing those vital few seconds needed to escape a fire in the home.
"But, despite the majority of homes nationally (over 90 per cent) having at least one working smoke alarm, smoke alarms only alerted householders to well under half of all fires in the home in England.
"Smoke alarms failed to activate most commonly because the fires were outside their range."
In Herefordshire and Worcestershire between April 2012 and March 2022, there was no smoke alarm present in nearly 1,500 fires, while some 488 were too far from the fire to be effective.
In 243 cases the fire crews could not be certain whether a smoke alarm had been fitted and therefore whether this might have affected the outcome.
And 70 alarms had a battery missing and the detector was removed in 32, while another 32 had a defective battery and 23 had a fault in the system.
The fire service is offering home visits to improve fire safety across its two counties.
