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Testing and maintaining your smoke alarm

When was the last time you checked your smoke alarm? If you don’t have a working smoke alarm you are four times more likely to die in a fire at home. Fire Kills - Press to test

It takes seconds to test a smoke alarm

It is vitally important to test your smoke alarm on a regular basis. Every year people are killed in fires because their alarms failed to work because of flat or missing batteries.

Could you test someone else's?

Is there a relative, friend or neighbour who has difficulty testing or reaching their smoke alarms? You could help to make that person safer by testing their smoke alarms for them once a week.

Need a reminder?

Safelincs have created a free reminder service for smoke alarm testing. They will send you a either a SMS text message or an email to remind you to test your smoke alarm. The Safelincs service is free and can be cancelled at any time. To register for this service please visit the safelincs website.

Maintaining

  • Once a year change the battery (unless it is a 10-year alarm).
  • Twice a year open the case and gently vacuum the inside to remove dust from the sensor. If it doesn't open, vacuum through the holes.
  • After 10 years it's best to replace your smoke alarm with a whole new unit.