WIREDGOV

Celebs pledge to test their Smoke Alarms every week

News Release issued by the COI News Distribution Service on 01 March 2010

Sir Terry Wogan, Amir Khan and 'Corrie sisters' amongst celebs that pledge to promote fire safety.

Celebrities from across the music, showbiz and sporting worlds are backing the Government’s Fire Kills campaign with a "Push It Pledge", to urge people to test their smoke alarm every week.

Coronation Street on-screen sisters, Helen Flanagan and Brooke Vincent (aka Rosie and Sophie Webster), along with a host of other famous faces - including Amir Khan, Ainsley Harriet, Jill Halfpenny, Sir Terry Wogan, Darren Campbell, James Martin, Dave Spikey, Nihal and Bobby Friction - are all making a pledge to test their smoke alarm every week. This is a vital step in helping the nation to reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by accidental house fires.

Eighty five per cent of people own a smoke alarm, 1 but worryingly less than a third test them every week.2 This is despite the fact that you are more than twice as likely to die in an accidental house fire if you don’t have a working smoke alarm.1 Just two to three breaths of toxic smoke can render you unconscious, your lungs fill up and you can’t breathe, just like drowning. It’s imperative that a smoke alarm is not only installed in your home, but that it actually works.

Helen Flanagan, who is supporting the campaign, said:

"At home, we’ve been guilty of not testing our smoke alarms as regularly as we should, but this campaign has made me realise how important it is to take just a few seconds every week to push the button and ensure our alarms are working. It’s scary how quickly a house fire can spread and in so many cases, it’s the smoke alarm that can make the difference between someone being able to escape in time, or not. We will be testing our smoke alarms every week from now on."

1The English House Condition Survey 2007

2 Fire Kills Survey conducted via Opinion Matters on behalf of the Fire Kills campaign amongst a nationally representative sample of 2433 UK Adults

Sir Terry Wogan, who suffered a house fire himself, says:

"I had a fire at home last year, and can vouch to the excellence of our local fire and rescue service, but if it hadn't been for the smoke alarm, even they might have been too late to help, and the consequences could have been fatal for me and my family. I’ll make sure that my smoke alarm is tested weekly."

Nihal from the BBC Asian Network, says: "I pledge to be fire safe – test my smoke alarm weekly and plan an escape route for my family - should the worst happen I want to be prepared!"

Sir Ken Knight, the Government’s Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser says: "A smoke alarm can buy valuable time to escape from a fire, but only if it’s working properly. It’s not enough to just install smoke alarms in your home – you must test them every week. The main reason that smoke alarms fail to activate is missing or flat batteries - if the battery needs replacing, do this immediately."

Installing a smoke alarm only takes a few minutes - just follow the manufacturer's instructions that come with it. The best place is on the ceiling, near or in the middle of the room or hall. The alarm should be at least 30cm (12inches) away from a wall or light.

The more alarms you have, the safer you'll be; Sir Ken Knight recommends you have one on each floor of your home to ensure the earliest detection of a fire.

If you have a TV or other large electrical appliance (such as a computer) in any of the bedrooms, you should fit a smoke alarm there too, but do not fit one in a kitchen or bathroom where smoke or steam may set them off accidentally.

Maintaining your smoke alarm

To keep your smoke alarm in good working order, you should:

* Test it once a week, by pressing the test button until the alarm sounds
* Change the battery once a year (unless it’s a ten-year alarm or a mains-connected alarm)
* Replace the whole unit every ten years

Celebrities, who have pledged their support for the campaign and committed to testing their own smoke alarms every week, include:

- Broadcaster Sir Terry Wogan
- World Champion Boxer Amir Khan
- TV actress Jill Halfpenny
- Comedian and actor Dave Spikey
- Celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott
- Olympic Gold medallist Darren Campbell
- BBC Asian Network presenter, and DJ Nihal
- Journalist Nicholas Owen
- TV actress Debra Stevenson
- Celebrity chef James Martin
- Asian Film Director Gurinder Chada
- TV presenter and former star of The Apprentice Kate Walsh
- Star of 'How clean is your house?' Aggie McKenzie
- BBC Asian Network presenter Bobby Friction
- Television presenter Lizzie Cundy
- Comedian Barry Cryer
- Former star of Shipwrecked Adam Child
- Television celebrity Ingrid Tarrant

To pledge to test your smoke alarm every week and to see which celebrities will be "Pushing the Button" visit www.direct.gov.uk/firekills/pledge

To view the picture that accompany's this release, please follow the link below:
http://nds.coi.gov.uk/ImageLibrary/detail.aspx?MediaDetailsID=1547


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Notes to editors:

The Fire Kills campaign is the national fire safety campaign delivered by Communities and Local Government. The campaign aims to reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by accidental dwelling fires by actively encouraging people to change their behaviour and attitudes towards fire safety.

The celebrities who have pledged to support this initiative have done so in their own time and free of charge.

Case Study (including photos) available for interview – summary below

Tina, 24 lives in Derby with her husband and three children

A house fire destroyed Tina’s family home. In December 2008 Tina was woken at 3:15 am by her smoke alarm. Her husband was working a night shift so she went downstairs to check and when she opened her lounge door she was greeted with huge flames. She called 999 and was advised to get herself and her children out straight away. Tina managed to get her children out of the back door to safety.

Tina and her family lost all of their belongings and had to spend seven months in temporary accommodation, before retuning to their home.

It is unclear whether it was an overloaded power socket or a tea light that started the fire but what is certain is that the smoke alarm saved the lives of Tina and her family.

Information Sources:

Communities and Local Government Fire Statistics 2007

Fire Kills Survey conducted via Opinion Matters on behalf of the Fire Kills campaign amongst a nationally representative sample of 2433 UK Adult

Contacts:

NDS Enquiries
Phone: For enquiries please contact the above department
ndsenquiries@coi.gsi.gov.uk