Smoke Detectors and Fire Safety

If you have a smoke detector alarm in your house but you took the batteries out because the toaster kept setting it off then consider this: you're twice as likely to die at home if you haven't got a fire alarm.

A fire at home is the sort of thing you think will never happen to you until there is a house fire in your neighbourhood that kills a family and we think 'must put those batteries back'.

A smoke detector costs less than £5 and you can get it in the supermarket or high street stores. There are no excuses for not having at least one! And if your smoke alarm is beeping, it generally means it wants new batteries.

But do you know all the ways a fire can start? You might remember the old ads where a chip pan caught fire, but how many of us now deep fry in open pans? The risks these days are more integrated into the house. Electric circuits can be lethal in older houses because of wear and tear and in newer houses because of overloading and quick and cheap fitting.

Plugs can become overloaded by TVs, videos, DVD players, stereos, mobile phone chargers, hairdryers and home PCs to name a few so it's no wonder that sockets overheat and connections melt. And in some houses you can find nearly all those things in one teenager's room!

You can remedy this by making sure you use a multi socket extension lead (surge protected are best) so that only one plug goes into the wall socket and one plug per socket on the lead. You can get up to eight sockets on an extension lead so there's no excuse..

Develop a bedtime routine! No, I don't mean milk and biscuits for everyone, but plug checks. If you leave things switched on at the wall, even on standby, they are still using an electric current and are therefore 'live', not to mention costing you money. A quarter of all people killed in home fires are asleep at the time so by turning all plugs and lights off properly and you are seriously reducing the risks.

Never Play With Matches, Charlie

Remember the ads? The ones with the little boy and the scary cat? They may be over 30 years old, but the same principles apply. If you use matches or a lighter for your oven, fire, candles etc, keep them out of reach and preferably a locked cupboard.

There's nothing so fascinating as a naked flame to children so make sure you stress the dangers and NEVER leave a naked flame unattended or without a fire guard. It should go without saying that you should never leave a child in a room with a naked flame in it, even a candle on a mantelpiece, for a second.

What's the Most Dangerous Room for Fires?

Probably the most heavily used room: the kitchen. Nearly two thirds of all domestic fires happen because of cooking. That's an awful lot of fires. 7,000 people are injured in kitchen fires each year (and that doesn't include the people who are killed).

There are lots of things plugged in that you won't want to unplug like the fridge and freezer so make sure the sockets are given a check over.

And these things may sound obvious to you, but not to a child so make sure they don't leave or use hot things like toasters near curtains, don't leave tea towels or wooden spoons on hot hobs, don't lean over hot pans to get something and check above all that things like ovens haven't been left on.

The kitchen is definitely a place for a smoke detector and if you can, a fire blanket on the wall.

Key points:

• Have you got a smoke alarm?
• Have you got a fire extinguisher?
• Have you planned how you would evacuate your house in the event of a fire downstairs?
• Do your children and other family members know what to do in case of fire?