Solitary chicken - need advice

[gracefruit]

My nine-year-old son had a visit from a fireman at school on Tuesday and was instructed to come home and check the smoke detector in the house. Imagine my horror when we discovered our alarm had no battery! I quickly remedied this, but the alarm wouldn't stop chirping (probably why the battery was removed). A check of the manufacturer's website revealed that the chirping was a signal to replace the alarm, so we bought another.

 

If my boy hadn't had a visit from the fireman at school, who knows when we would have found out we had no alarm (ours checks for CO2 as well). It scares me to think about it.

 

So please do a quick check of your smoke alarm today. With Christmas lights going up and lots of extra cooking going on, it makes sense to be sure you're protected.

[Cinnamon]

Timely advice - thanks.

 

Mine are all wired into the mains,so we are OK unless there is a power cut & a fire

[little chickadee]

Thanks for that. We do check ours regularly but it's really helpful having a visit in School .My daughter had a firefighter's daughter in her primary school class and they got regular school visits. We've talked a lot about "Stop - Drop & Roll" because of the visits too. It's very good to have young smoke alarm evangelists!

[Cooks]

yes, thanks for the warning, mine are too wired into the mains as is my heat detector in the kitchen. Battery back up in case of a power cut though

[bronze]

I test mine regularly when I grill something and forget to shut the kitchen door

[Joojoo]

Something that's worth noting, but a lot of people don't realise that their local Fire Station do home safety risk assessments totally free of charge. You don't need to be on benefits or anything like that and they come out and do a recce of your escape routes etc and will supply and fit, completely free new smoke alarms with 10 year batteries on every level of your home.

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

In America the system seems to be check your alarms on the days the clocks change. They remind you to do so on the telly. I started doing it as it helps me to remember.

[The Dogmother]

I have a pinger in my online calendar to remind me to check ours periodically. I have a CO2 one in the living room, and in all the rooms that the chimney passes through just in case the stove flue leaks or there's a build-up

[dancing cloud]

Thanks for the reminder.

 

My one near the kitchen demonstrates it's still OK by going off periodically if I haven't cleaned the grill before use

 

I did prod the bedoom one last weekend to check it, but only because I had to change the lightbulb so had the stepladder handy. Must calendar it, to do it more regularly

[Egluntyne]

Thanks for the reminder.

[bluekarin]

I test mine regularly when I grill something and forget to shut the kitchen door

 

My other half uses that method too! It's also the signal that dinner is ready

 

But on a serious note, it is very important to check them. You hear too many stories where people have been seriously injured or worse because they didn't have one. Or there was no battery in it.

 

In America the system seems to be check your alarms on the days the clocks change. They remind you to do so on the telly. I started doing it as it helps me to remember.

 

That is an excellent idea! Wonder why they don't do that over here.

[Blackrocksrock]

Mine tests most weeks when I grill bacon - my grill is clean too its just the spitting on the hot bars - at least I know it works but well worth remembering about very often.

[chickencam]

Ours go off quite regularly too and they peep when the battery needs changing. We also have a carbon monoxide one in the lounge. It has a digital readout and we are relieved to find that there is nom CO at all from our woodburner, it just makes us sleepy because it all toasty and warm

[Ain't Nobody Here]

We only have one working (I think ) alarm. I'm going to add 2 new ones to my shopping list tomorrow.

[gracefruit]

I still can't believe the battery was removed. Neither my husband nor I have any memory of taking it out, but one of us must have done -- the thing was malfunctioning and making a terrible noise with the battery in.

 

I'd no idea the fire department would come do a check and fit new smoke detectors. If they'll do that in Scotland, I'll definitely have them round. I'm also going to purchase some of those rope/safety ladders for the bedrooms since they're all upstairs.

[Jules.]

I test mine regularly when I grill something and forget to shut the kitchen door

[Chook n Boo Mum]

I test mine regularly when I grill something and forget to shut the kitchen door

 

Me too! Always know when dinners ready....!

 

Ours are mains linked so only beep when the power's off - very annoying for the 2hr power cut the other evening !

 

Sha x

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I found this website for Lothian and Borders so Stirlingshire might do it too!

[gracefruit]

Thank you, V! I'll give them a call on Monday.