Introduction - Best Value Report

Smoke detectors are fitted in all of our Council properties for the safety of our tenants. We clean and test the detectors once a year and fit a new battery usually as part of our annual central heating servicing programme.

If a smoke detector appears to be faulty, please report the fault to your local area housing office and we will promptly arrange for the detector to be repaired or replaced.

If your smoke detectors have not been tested within the last 12 months, please contact our Central Heating Repairs Section on 01942 705819 and we will arrange an appointment for the service to be carried out.

Information on Smoke Detectors

Smoke detectors have been installed in all Council properties in the interests of your safety.

This leaflet contains important information. Please read it carefully. Ask staff at your local Area Housing Office to explain anything you do not understand.

You must:

test the detectors weekly to ensure that they continue to work (see overleaf)
replace the battery if the alarm does not sound when the test button is pressed or if the alarm ‘beeps’ regularly
report any faults you find to your local Area Housing Office
not relocate or paint a smoke detector

We will:

clean and test each alarm once a year and fit a new battery. We will normally combine this with other annual safety checks
investigate promptly any faults you report
repair or replace any detector which is found to be faulty

Smoke detectors can:

sense smoke
sense invisible, odourless fumes from fire
sound an alarm
provide early warning of developing fires so allowing precious minutes for you to escape

Battery-powered smoke detectors cannot:

work without a battery
detect heat – only smoke
work satisfactorily unless correctly positioned so you should not relocate detectors from their position
tell the difference between smoke and steam
tell the difference between smoke and some kinds of cooking

If you get a false alarm due to steam or cooking, do not remove the battery - you might forget to put it back! If you are quite sure it is only a false alarm, close bathroom and kitchen doors. Open windows and other doors until the alarm resets itself. It is normal to get occasional false alarms. If they happen regularly (e.g. every time you have a shower or make toast) please tell your local Area Housing Office. We will investigate, replace the alarm if it is faulty and suggest actions you can take to reduce false alarms.

Remember – never remove the battery to silence an alarm!

Testing your detector

You must test your detector every week by pressing the test button (see diagram) until the alarm sounds.

Note: You can use special testing sources currently on the market for this purpose, such as smoke matches or smoke aerosols. These can be found in hardware shops.