Campaign launches ahead of fire safety changes in Scotland

Homeowners are being urged to install interlinked heat and smoke alarms in a Scottish media campaign, ahead of new fire safety laws that come into effect next year.

From February, all homeowners will be required to have interlinked alarms, which significantly reduce casualties by alerting everybody in a property to a fire, alongside carbon monoxide alarms in most properties.

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

This new legislation was brought forward in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy in 2017.

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 around £220, using the type of alarms that can be installed by the homeowner without 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.

‘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 & Rescue Service to install alarms in owner-occupied homes identified as being at highest risk.’

The campaign launches today and will consist of adverts across TV, radio and digital channels, with printed leaflets provided at local libraries.

More information about the new smoke and heat alarm regulations can be found here.

In related news, Planning gateway one, a new planning requirement that came into force recently, will ensure that high-rise developments consider fire safety at the earliest stages of planning.

Photo by Matt Chesin