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Free smoke alarms to poor local authority households are a waste of time and money

October 31, 2002

Local authority schemes aimed at reducing fire-related injuries and deaths in poor urban households by providing and installing free smoke alarms could be a waste of time and money, according to a study carried out by researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.

The study, the findings of which are published in today's British Medical Journal, aimed to identify the smoke alarm type which was most likely to remain working in disadvantaged inner city households, particularly those containing smokers, who are at increased risk of house fires. They distributed free smoke alarms to 2,145 local authority households in inner London, but when the alarms were tested again 15 months later nearly half (47%) were not working and 4 out of 10 were missing or had been disabled, chiefly because tenants had either lost or removed the battery, or misplaced the actual smoke alarm.

The researchers tested 5 different types of alarm and concluded that those using an ionisation sensor and/or a lithium battery were most likely to still be working 15 months later, even though a large proportion of these were disabled when researchers carried out the function test.

Ian Roberts, Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health at LSHTM, and one of the authors of the report, comments: 'Smokers and people living in bed and breakfast accommodation are at increased risk from residential fires, and the Government recommends that local authorities install battery-powered smoke alarms in all their properties to try and reduce the risks. However, our findings cast doubt on whether this approach is the most worthwhile or cost-effective means of reducing fire-related deaths and injuries in more deprived households, and greater thought needs to be given as to how best to tackle the problem.

To interview Professor Roberts, please contact the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Press Office on 020 7927 2073.

Ends.

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)

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