A project to fit a smoke alarm in every child’s bedroom in two communities in Tameside has been launched. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service will install around 1,500 smoke alarms in children’s bedrooms in Mottram and Hattersley.
The Wake Up campaign, backed by smoke alarm manufacturer FireAngel, says research undertaken by Australian scientists in 2004 discovered that just 6% of children aged between six and 15 woke up when a fire alarm was triggered in an adjoining room.
Community fire safety officer Jonathan Knowles said: “It could be four or five minutes before the smoke reaches an alarm behind a closed door and in that time, a child could die.
Celeste Clarke, spokesperson for Wake Up, said: “Having a smoke or CO alarm in a child’s room massively increases their odds of being woken up in the event of an emergency. It also ensures that the fire is detected early if it starts in the child’s bedroom.
