The law on fire alarms changed in February 2022. The law was changed to make us all safer, following the Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017.
All Scottish homes now need to have interlinked fire alarms. Interlinked means they are connected to each other and when one goes off they will all go off so you are alerted wherever you are in your home. You do not need Wi-Fi or internet for this.
Whoever owns the property is responsible for this. If you own your home it is your responsibility. If you have a landlord it is their responsibility. Housing Associations are responsible for their tenants. Most Housing Associations and Councils have a programme underway to install new alarms.
About the new rules
You must have one smoke alarm in the living room or the room you use most, one smoke alarm in every hallway or landing and one heat alarm in the kitchen. All smoke and heat alarms should be mounted on the ceiling and be interlinked. You must also have a carbon monoxide detector in rooms that have gas boilers, heaters or flues, but this does not need to be linked to the fire alarms.
More information is on the Scottish Government website
Fitting the new alarms
The new alarms can be sealed battery alarms or mains wired alarms. You may be able to fit sealed battery alarms by yourself but mains-wired ones need a qualified electrician to do these.
You can buy alarms online or in stores. You should shop around to find the best price. The Scottish Government website estimates the cost for an average three bedroom house needing 2 smoke alarms, a heat alarm and a carbon monoxide detector is £220. For help with costs you can contact your local Care and Repair service. Please be aware of rogue traders charging lots of money to fit these alarms for you. If in doubt, contact your landlord or Citizen’s Advice Bureau.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service do free Home Fire Safety Visits and provide information and advice about smoke, heat and carbon monoxide alarms.
If you are assessed as high-risk they can also fit alarms for you. If you have no alarms at the moment they can provide temporary ones. To request a Home Fire Safety Visit contact SFRS on 0800 0731999 or text “FIRE” to 80800.
GDA is running online info sessions with the Fire Service – contact us for the date of the next one.
For more information, go to:https://www.mygov.scot/home-fire-safety
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