It’s a fact that working smoke alarms save lives, so regular testing of your alarm should give you peace of mind that should a fire start, your alarm will alert you to the danger and give you and your family the best chance of getting out of your home safely.

As a fire safety equipment manufacturer and supplier, we fully support the Fire & Rescue Service #TestitTuesday campaign which encourages everyone to take the time to test their smoke alarm each week.

But when installing or specifying alarms, it is also important to choose the right alarm for the right location, so which alarm should go where in your home?

Smoke Alarm: It is recommended to place at least one smoke alarm on every floor of the home – especially on escape routes such as landings and hallways and high-risk areas such as the living room. Do not place a smoke alarm too close to a kitchen appliance or fireplace as this may result in a false alarm.

Heat Alarm: Heat alarms are designed to avoid false alarms and are used in areas where smoke may be present such as kitchens, garages, fireplaces, and workshops. The device is activated when the temperature in the room increases significantly.

British Standard BS 5839-6: 2019 covers specific recommendations for fire alarm systems in all domestic properties – both new build and existing premises.

The level of protection for occupants must be directly related to the fire risk. The number and siting of the alarms installed will affect how quickly a fire is detected

LD1 – High protection. All rooms a fire could start – Kitchen, Living Room, Landings & Hallways (escape routes), Bedrooms
LD2 – Medium protection. Escape routes and high-risk areas – Kitchen, Living Room, Hallways & Landings (as shown on the image here)
LD3 – Minimum protection. Escape routes and high traffic areas – Hallways & Landings

Other types of alarm to consider installing:

Carbon Monoxide Alarm: CO (carbon monoxide) is known as the silent killer because it is odourless, tasteless, and colourless. CO alarms are placed in rooms with fuel burning appliances and near sleeping areas on each floor. They should not be placed right next to or over a fireplace or flame-producing appliance.

Flood Alarm: Flood alarms are designed to detect a leak of water from washing machines, dishwashers, broken pipes, or humid areas. They can also detect flooding in basements, etc and are ideal for placing on the floor in inaccessible areas where leaks are difficult to discover.

Here at Firechief, we want you to feel safe. Our mission is to work hard every day to protect lives and property from fire by providing a range of fire safety products that can be trusted to perform when the heat is on.

That’s why as a manufacturer of fire safety products, we focus on quality, reliability, and high performance. Bearing the distinctive Firechief brand, our products are UK-designed to be visibly safer and set the standard both in the UK and overseas for top quality, UK-approved fire equipment.

Firechief products carry a range of accreditations such as the BSI Kitemark, LPCB approval, MED certification, CE mark and Apragaz QA.

We invite you to browse the large range of fire protection equipment on our website www.firechiefglobal.com, find out what products suit you best, have a look at our Firechief Cavius Alarms range and keep up to date with all the latest news in the fire industry via the blog in our info centre.

For more information, call us on +44 (0)330 999 0019 or email sales@firechiefglobal.com