If you can’t open the window break the glass in the bottom corner. Make jagged edges safe with a towel or blanket. What to do if your clothes catch fire

We test smoke alarms using an aerosol tester, sprayed in the direction of the alarm for up to five seconds from a distance of 30cm. If the alarm doesn’t respond within four seconds, we don’t recommend it. Having completed this functional test, we take a careful look at any controls, screens, or indicators to see how clear and effective these are. You’re around 8 times more likely to die in a fire if you do not have a working smoke alarm in your home. If your home has more than one floor, at least one alarm should be fitted on each level. In this case a combination of optical and ionisation alarms, preferably interconnected, will give the best protection.And whatever alarm you have, you should also be cleaning it from time to time. A build-up of dust, fibres or cobwebs can interfere with its operation. Using a vacuum cleaner around the case of the alarm and wiping it with a cloth is all you need to do to maintain any alarm. If your long-life battery is coming to the end of its life, then it will warn you in a similar way. You can put them in kitchens and garages because they’re not prone to false alarms from cooking or exhaust fumes. But they are slower to respond than smoke alarms.

Did you know that you can buy smoke alarms which are all linked together? It means that if one alarm goes off, they’ll all sound. If you have a TV or other large electrical appliance in your bedroom, you should fit a smoke alarm there. Looking after your smoke alarm There are two different types of interconnectable alarms. They can connect using radio frequencies or with a wired connection.It’s not unheard of for people to use rechargeable batteries in their smoke detectors and have never had a problem with it. However, the manufacturers of these rechargeable batteries recommend that you don’t use them for smoke detectors. Ten-year sealed battery smoke alarms are the best option. They are slightly more expensive, but you save on the cost of replacing batteries. Sounds like a lot, but just remember that you can never have too many smoke alarms in your home. Statistics: Dwellings with no smoke alarm accounted for 38% of deaths in home fires in Great Britain. Nearly one-fifth of deaths occurred where no smoke alarm worked.

Buy and fit your smoke alarms to make sure you have those few extra precious minutes to make a safe escape.

LED Torches & Flashlights

There are too many variables at play that can alter the lifespan of a 9v smoke detector battery. For example, a few things that affect battery life are: In a standard smoke alarm, the battery will need to be replaced every 12 months. You can buy alarms fitted with sealed 10 year batteries. The advantage is that you don’t have to replace the battery every year. A smoke alarm could save your life one day. I suspect you already know that smoke alarms will warn you of a fire, giving you time to react. They are always alert, so you can relax in the knowledge that you’re always protected… Make sure you, and everyone in your home, know the fire plan for your building and where fire alarms and fire exits are. As with all buildings, you should plan and practise an escape route.

Many smoke detectors available today claim that they’ll keep the battery for 10 years. Although that might be the case, I’ve never been one to try and test that out. Every ten seconds, the alarm will emit an Infrared beam of light inside the alarm. When smoke is present, it will cause this light to reflect onto the sensor, prompting the alarm. Every alarm only really has a life of around 10 years, so you should replace them after this time. Some smoke alarms have a date printed on them, to let you know when to change the alarm. If not, just write the date on the alarm when you install it. This is great for large houses, but also if a fire breaks out downstairs when you’re sleeping upstairs.

Lithium batteries have a much higher capacity than their alkaline counterpart. They also have a slightly higher initial voltage as well as a longer shelf life. Lithium batteries are able to store more energy than any other kind of battery that’s of a comparable size. Because of this, lithium batteries are the best choice to use when it comes to devices that have a high drain, because the battery will typically last much longer in these kinds of devices compared to alkaline batteries.