Check smoke alarms this daylight savings |
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Daylight savings occurs earlier this year so don’t forget to change the clocks on October 5. It’s also the ideal opportunity to get into the habit of checking and testing smoke alarms. Exelgard, a leading distributor of domestic fire products including the Wormald brand of smoke alarms, advises that such a quick and simple task should be on everyone’s to-do list at this time of year. Fires are an ongoing threat to homeowners across the nation with one in every five Australians experiencing a home fire in their lifetime.[1] “Ensuring the smoke alarm and battery are in working order only takes a few seconds, but has the potential to save lives,” said John Lynch, Commercial Manager of Portable Fire Equipment & Products, Exelgard. Legislation across most of Australia requires all homeowners to install at least one smoke alarm. If a home has more than one storey, there should be a smoke alarm on each level. Helpful hints: · Smoke alarms should be located in paths where people are most likely to evacuate the building such as hallways or the base of the stairs · Make sure there is a smoke alarm in or near the bedrooms to wake up sleeping occupants during the night · Replace smoke alarm batteries every 12 months and regularly test the alarm by pressing the test button. Furthermore, clean the detector frequently by vacuuming around it to remove dust · Consider where a photoelectric model, which detects smoke from slow smouldering fires, might be more beneficial than an ionisation model Exelgard is the sole distributor of Wormald smoke alarms. A range of Wormald products are available from Woolworths, K-mart, Big W and Australia Post. [1] AAMI FIREscreen fire safety and awareness index, May 2008  Download pdf version |
