Where there's smoke there's...no alarm?
05/06/2009
SGIC research* has revealed almost one in five (18 per cent) South Australian householders continue to risk lives by deliberately disabling smoke alarms.
According to the insurer’s survey results, the most common reasons for disabling a smoke alarm was to stop it sounding while cooking (42 per cent), to silence the low battery alert (35 per cent), or because it goes off accidentally or too much (14 per cent).
SGIC State Manager Ms Lee Jameson urged householders to have some common sense when installing their smoke alarms.
“Smoke alarms do save lives,” Ms Jameson said. “Each winter, which is traditionally the worst time for house fires, we receive around 110 claims – so it’s great to see that almost 94 per cent of South Australian homes have at least one."
“While it’s definitely a concern that many householders are disabling their smoke alarm, it they’re installed correctly and maintained, the problems people have identified as the reason for switching off their smoke alarm may be stopped.”
Ms Jameson said householders needed to think practically about where they install their smoke alarms.
“Make sure they’re near bedrooms to alert you when sleeping, and near enough to the kitchen to alert you if cooking catches fire,” Ms Jameson said. “If your alarm is going off so regularly that you feel the need to disable it, it may need to be relocated.”
Ms Jameson also encouraged householders to regularly check their smoke alarm to make sure it is working. She said they should be checked once a month, but according SGIC’s survey 7 per cent never check and 34 per cent only check once a year.
“Unfortunately only around one in five of the survey respondents check their smoke alarm monthly, which means many battery-operated alarms may not be working,” she said.
“Householders – especially those with families – should be more proactive in their fire safety. This includes having discussions around what to do if there’s an emergency and how they’ll evacuate.”
To help prevent and be ready for a home fire, SGIC recommends all households:
- Have an evacuation plan and make sure everyone in the house knows and practices it regularly;
- Keep a fire extinguisher and fire blanket at hand;
- Do not key-lock deadlocks on doors when you are at home in case you need to leave in a hurry;
- Call triple zero immediately if fire does break out and cannot be safely and quickly controlled; and
- Install a smoke alarm(s) and check to see they are working once a month. If you have battery-operated alarms, change the batteries at least once a year.
For more information on how to make your home safer visit www.sgic.com.au/homesafety
* Based on Woolcott Research, February 2009