New fire alarm rules pose insurance issue

Dear Editor It became law at the start of this month that every home in Scotland should have inter-linked fire alarms, including both smoke and heat detectors.

The estimated cost if you can fit these yourself is approximately £220 with no financial aid forthcoming from the Scottish Government.

And this in the middle of a financial crisis for many households, what with the rise in energy bills, National Insurance contributions, fuel prices and mortgages.

How did this come about? The Scottish Government states that it was because of a fire which started in the fourth floor of a 24-storey block of flats, namely Grenfell Tower in London.

As deeply sad as the Grenfell Tower fire was, I do not see how it means that an upstairsdownstairs in Perthshire, or any place else, needs the standard of fire protection specified.

We are now told that there will be no enforcement or inspections to ensure that we are complying with this legislation!

The insurance companies say it will not affect a claim if you have a fire and do not have an inter-linked fire alarm system fitted.

I find this hard to believe as insurance companies are always looking for reasons not to pay out. Likewise when it comes to selling your property will you be required to produce a Inter-linked

Fire Alarm Certificate, like the Energy Performance Certificate.

Now we find the education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville, backed by First

Minister Nicola Sturgeon, suggests the solution to better ventilation in schools is to cut the bottom off classroom doors.

The First Minister tried to defend the £300,000 scheme as basic common sense to enable the natural flow of air through the school.

Most school doors are self-closing fire doors, which are there to stop the spread of smoke and flames in the event of a fire.

These fire doors are professionally rated for stopping the spread of fire and I cannot believe that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was consulted on this issue as this would result in a fail in any Fire Safety Audit – with the result possibly being a Enforcement or Prohibition notice.

Back to the drawing board, First Minister, and I’d give you an F for this farce.

Thank you cyclist Dear Editor Thank you to the cyclist who showed knowledge of the Highway Code and consideration for other road users at the long turning from Strathblane to Milngavie.

The cyclist drew into the left-hand side to let traffic past and then waved me past on a corner when they could see much further along the road.

They were dressed in all black, with a yellow helmet and gloves.

Thank you for being so considerate and thinking of others.

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