Check your smoke alarm, it could save your life — fire chiefs

More than 2,000 adults were surveyed as part of a national report on residential fire safety by online training provider High Speed Training.

Smoke alarms are one of the most effective defences against fatal fires in the home, with estimates suggesting people are eight times more likely to die in a blaze if their home does not have working smoke alarms.

The survey found 84 per cent of those responding had at least one alarm on every level of their home, as per fire service guidance.

In private rented and social rented homes, it is the duty of the landlord to ensure a suitable number are installed and working at the start of the tenancy, with at least one smoke alarm on each storey if a room is used as living accommodation.

Fire safety consultant William Cunningham said steps highlighted in the report — which also included not over-loading power sockets and having an escape plan — were “simple and practical ways” to improve fire safety in the home.

A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said smoke alarm testing was a regular theme of the service’s campaign messaging, including on social media platforms like TikTok.

Station manager Steve Jones said: “We’ve long urged people to ensure they have working smoke alarms on every level of their home, that they test once a week.

“They really are life-saving devices and we’ve seen countless examples in recent months and years of how getting early warning of a fire can save your life.

“Beyond that, working smoke alarms can also save your home.

“Early warning of a fire doesn’t just mean you can get out early, it means the fire can be dealt with quicker.

“Even relatively small fires can cause smoke damage that renders your home uninhabitable and, ultimately, cause you a world of pain dealing with insurance issues.

“Please get them, fit them and test them regularly.”