Thanks
to to Acle Fire Crew for permission to use their photos on the Acle
Village Website
At the present time there is no legislation available to force people to have smoke detectors fitted to their homes. Building regulations now insist smoke detectors be fitted to all new residential accommodation. Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service strongly recommend that you fit at least one smoke alarm to each level of your home. This is the absolute minimum that you should have in your home.
Brian Walshe, Fire Service Risk Manager, reminds us that there are well over 50,000 fires in homes in Britain every year, that is nearly 140 a day. 400 people a year die from house fires, the majority of which could have been prevented.
Brian recently visited my house and carried out a free Home Fire Risk Assessment, pointing out some very interesting facts that may lead to a fire, of which I was totally unaware. Brian inspected each room in the house, spending more time in the living room and kitchen, where the majority of appliances are located. Having gone through our escape route and procedures, I was relieved to hear that he considered our house as low-risk from fire.
If you or someone you know in the Broadland area is elderly, infirm, disabled or on low income and at risk from fire, Norfolk Fire Service can visit to carry out a Home Fire Risk Assessment with the householder. Following a visit the fire service can supply a smoke detector and if necessary, could arrange for one to be fitted. To contact Fire Service Risk Managers Brian Walshe or James Belcher call the Community Fire Safety Freephone on 0800 917 8137 or email greatyarmouth@fire.norfolk.gov.uk.
Reacting to the Alarm
If a fire alarm sounds during the night..... the most likely reason is that you have a fire. When people are at work, most know the actions to take when the fire alarm sounds, they know the route to take out of the building and where to gather together outside so that fire marshals can check registers to see that everyone is accounted for. At no time would you consider deviating from this route and going to look for the fire.
At home the story is often very different with sometimes fatal consequences.
When at home we can get used to the alarm going off while someone is cooking, but what do people do when the alarm sounds at 2 o'clock in the morning? Often people will go and look to see WHY the alarm is sounding. They may even open the door to the room with the fire in, and that action will allow the fire to spread quickly around the house.
The only way to react to a smoke alarm at home at night is to:
get up,
get everyone in the house together,
leave the building by the quickest route, usually down the stairs and out of the front door.
If you follow the above advice you will survive a fire.