Does your rental property have mains or battery-powered fire alarms? New figures have revealed that battery-powered smoke alarms failed in more than a third of house fires in England.
The Local Government Association (LGA) has analysed figures from the Home Office which show that firefighters dealt with more than 7,500 fires in homes with battery-powered alarms, but a shocking 38% failed to alert residents.
According to the data, incorrect positioning of alarms was responsible for 45% of the failures, while missing or faulty batteries caused a fifth (20%) of failures. Home Office figures also reveal that the failure rate has remained largely unchanged since 2010.
Here are the key findings from the LGA research:
Other industry research has previously found that one in 10 households do not have a working smoke alarm, while 22% of people never test their alarms.
In response to its own research, the LGA is advising people to fit more than one smoke detector in their homes, with at least one on the ceiling of every floor.
Ian Stephens, chairman of the LGA's Fire Services Management Committee, said smoke alarms are "proven life-savers". He also advised people to check the alarms of vulnerable such as elderly family members or those on their own.
Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service offers seven smoke alarm tips:
