For decades the safety people have been trying to convince people to buy and install smoke alarms. Every fatal house fire reinforced that message and now the laws have been changed to make such alarms part of the specification for all new homes - and a legal requirement in existing homes.
What few people realise is that the fire department has offered to install smoke alarms where a householder requests and provides the appliance - and has added a new and very welcome service.
Older people who would find it hard - and probably dangerous - to climb a ladder to replace the battery in a smoke alarm have only to call their local fire station and a fireman will call and do the job for them - and even provide the battery - free of charge.
Smoke alarm batteries need to be replaced annually - and the fire brigade suggests that daylight saving change-over time would be a good time to act as a reminder.
Unfortunately this innovative service has received little publicity and as a result few are aware of it. There are many households containing elderly people who have no young relatives nearby to assist with such tasks - and the action of the fire brigade must be commended in offering such valuable assistance.
The media would help if they made a practice of including the offer in instances where a news item mentioned smoke alarms. The wider the publicity - the more people who will live a safer life because of this free service !
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