Ahead of April Fool’s day tomorrow, Australian’s are being urged to change the batteries in their smoke alarms as part of a ‘Don’t be a Fool!’ campaign being conducted by fire and emergency services.
A study released today as part of the campaign shows that reveals that Australians, by and large, are not taking the warnings of fire and emergency services seriously.
The study found that, “…93 per cent of those with smoke alarms are not undertaking monthly checks, leaving them for months, a year or even longer between tests. More than 3 million Australians admit to having never tested their smoke alarms at all.”
Kevin Reading, from Queensland Fire & Emergency Services and the campaign spokesperson, said, “Fire and emergency services see a devastating number of house fires across the nation every year and unfortunately, not everyone gets out alive.”
“Smoke alarms save lives by providing a critical early warning that can give you time to evacuate safely – but only if they work…”
According to the study, released by Duracell, “…the vast majority of Australians say they would not get in a car with someone who is over the legal blood alcohol limit (97%), would not run a red light while driving (95%) and would not run across train tracks (92%), most are prepared to neglect their household smoke alarms by not complying with recommendations from fire and emergency services.
Most Australians claim they simply forget to attend to their smoke alarms, while others say they are located in a difficult spot to reach or they don’t know how to test them.
Add Comment