Do Smoke Alarms REALLY SAVE LIVES?

Smoke alarms save lives, no doubt about it. Recent news reports of how a teenager, her grandmother and their nine puppies survived a Two Wells house fire show just how vital they are.

Woken in the early hours of the morning as smoke poured through the house, the pair escaped, rescuing the pups.

The South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service has very clear advice.

“Smoke is the biggest killer in fires,” it says.

Not only does it make breathing difficult, but the lack of vision can also quickly disorientate house occupants.

“A clean, working smoke alarm is the difference between life and death in a house fire,” says the MFS.

The most efficient alarms are hard-wired and inter-connected throughout the house.

How old are your alarms? Do they meet current safety standards?

Correctly located and industry-compliant smoke alarms give early warning of a fire, providing occupants precious time that may be vital to survival.

Most fire-related deaths result from inhaling toxic fire gases rather than from direct contact with flame or radiant heat.

Photo-electric alarms provide the best detection across a range of fires.

The MFS says photo-electric smoke alarms hard-wired to the 240-volt power supply and interconnected give the earliest warning possible.