Home owners urged to install interlinked heat and smoke alarms before new fire safety laws introduced in 2022

CAITHNESS homeowners are being urged to install interlinked heat and smoke alarms as part of a nationwide campaign – launched on Thursday – before new fire safety laws come into effect next year.

In six months, all houses will be required to have interlinked alarms under legislation brought forward after the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017. These alarms significantly reduce casualties by alerting everybody in a property to a fire. Most homes will also require a carbon monoxide alarm.

Private rented and new-build homes must already meet these standards, but from February, 2022 they will apply to every home in Scotland, regardless of age or tenure.

The cost for an average three-bedroom house which requires three smoke alarms, one heat alarm and one carbon monoxide detector is estimated to be about £220 – a figure based on using the type of alarms that can be installed by the homeowner, without the need for an electrician. The Scottish Government is providing £500,000 to help eligible older and disabled homeowners with installation, in partnership with Care and Repair Scotland.

Housing Secretary, Shona Robison, said: "One death from a house fire is one too many, and improving fire safety remains our utmost priority. In February, Scotland will become the first UK nation to require every home to have interlinked fire alarms, which significantly reduce the risk of injury or death. If there is a fire in one room it will set off alarms throughout the property, giving residents more time to escape.

She added: "Homeowners are generally responsible for paying for works to protect their property, but we know some may not be able to meet the cost of fitting these alarms. That is why we are providing £500,000 to help disabled and older people, on top of the £1 million we have already provided to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to install alarms in owner-occupied homes identified as being at highest risk."

Alasdair Perry, head of prevention and protection at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Having the earliest possible warning of a fire in the home can and has saved lives and property. Having interlinked alarms installed will allow everyone, anywhere in the house to take action as quickly as possible.

"The Scottish Government has provided financial support to our Home Fire Safety Visit programme, which will allow us to fit to the new standard in the homes of those identified through our robust criteria as being at higher risk. However, if we go to any property that has no detection, we will still provide a battery-operated stand-alone smoke detector and advise the occupant about the new standard for the fire and smoke alarms required by the legislation in all Scottish homes."

Robert Thomson, national director of Care and Repair Scotland, said: "We have assisted older and disabled home owners in repairing and adapting their homes since 1988. Therefore, we are pleased to be administering the fire alarms assistance package for lower-income older and disabled home owners. This funding will support our overall aim to help home owners live independently and safely at home for as long as possible."

Age Scotland has welcomed the Scottish Government initiative but says there is still "a long way to go to ensure all households affected by the significant change are able to meet requirements."

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