Lack of alarms in fire-hit homes

More than half of the fires in Perth and Kinross between April and June 2021 were in homes not fitted with operating smoke alarms.

It comes as every Scottish home will require to have interlinked heat and smoke alarms fitted by February next year.

Despite the deadline, firefighters continue to visit homes either not fitted with smoke alarms or where the alarms are not working.

Area manager Stephen Wood presented the April 1 to June 30, 2021 Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) report for Perth and Kinross at a meeting on Wednesday last week.

There were 30 accidental fires in Perth and Kinross homes over that period.

Only 14 were in homes with working smoke alarms to alert residents to the danger.

Mr Wood told councillors:“We do still see a number of properties with fires that don’t have detection in them. The new standard will change that and it does become a mandatory requirement.

“The enforcing authority for that will be with the local authority.”

The fire chief told councillors he hoped an increased awareness of the new legislation would lead to an increased uptake in detection devices.

He said there would be a continual campaign for the SFRS to ensure public awareness is maintained around the issue as well as encouraging the public to ensure detectors are maintained and fitted with working batteries.

The new legislation is being brought forward following the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017.

Under the new legislation an average three-bedroom house would need three smoke alarms, one heat alarm and one carbon monoxide detector – estimated to cost around £220.

The Scottish Government has said it is providing funding help for eligible older and disabled homeowners with installation, in partnership with Care and Repair Scotland.

It has also given £1 million to the SFRS to install alarms in owner-occupied homes identified as being at highest risk.