Building a new home is often an exciting journey and while people often get caught up with finding paint swatches, tiling, and pretty lighting, they may not think about the all-important fire alarm installation in London homes. This is possibly one of the most important things a new homeowner can do to ensure that the lives of their family remain safe and cared for by a little thing such as fire detection and warning system because to be forewarned, as the saying goes, is to be forearmed.
Statistics
Official statistics in the UK show that of all the domestic fires attended to by officials, 25% did not have an alarm or detection system present. And within that specific 25%, there were 196 fatalities of innocent lives, this is 196 people too many considering that early warning and detection have proven to save lives and it is in the best interest of any homeowner to ensure that these kinds of systems are in place to warn their loved ones of impending danger so they can get out before it is too late.
What is required by law?
Legally, there will be no ramifications in the case of death caused by an accidental fire with no fire alarm present, however, it is highly recommended that an early detection and warning system be placed in rooms where a fire is likely to start, like the kitchen or the sitting room where a fireplace is present.
If a homeowner wishes to be insured for fire damages it is likely that the insurance provider will require that an early detection and warning system be installed, likely in each room of the home, and that regular maintenance is carried out on it in order to pay out an insurance claim on fire damages. In the case of a claim being sent in, the insurance company will likely investigate the case thoroughly before paying out to ensure that the alarm system was installed, maintained and working at the time of the fire.
What more can be done?
While smoke detectors are the most common household fire detection system, there are some cases where heat detectors may work better, this can be determined in an assessment and evaluation from a fire official that is qualified in such matters to undertake a fire plan within the home.
Most alarm systems are auditory but in the case of the home of a hearing-impaired person who relies on assistive listening devices or hearing aids (https://www.earpros.com/hearing-aid-brands/starkey-hearing-aids/livio), a visual alarm system can be installed, this often comes in the form of a bright flashing red light to indicate to the individual that there is a fire emergency.
Maintenance
Fire alarm maintenance can often be carried out by the company that installed the alarm, this can be done annually if needs be though many home systems have an indicator for when batteries go dead in the case of wireless alarms and home tests with small amounts of smoke can be carried out by the homeowner randomly to ensure that a smoke detection system is working.
