Have the right number of smoke alarms

Around 500,000 Norwegians go to bed each night with no way of being alerted if there is a fire. This is either because they do not have a smoke alarm in working order, or because they have fitted it in a place where they cannot hear it. If your home catches fire, you will only have a few minutes to get out. This is why it’s so important for you to fit your smoke alarms in places where you will hear them as soon as they begin to beep.

Comply with fire alarm requirements

All homes must have a fire alarm system or smoke alarms. You must have at least one smoke alarm on each floor. These must be fitted in places where they can detect and give warning of fires in the kitchen, living room, and zones outside bedrooms and technical rooms. The alarm must be clearly audible in bedrooms and lounges, even when doors between these rooms are closed.

Fit smoke alarms in bedrooms

If a fire breaks out in a closed room, it will take a long time for a smoke alarm outside that room to react. That is why you should fit smoke alarms in all bedrooms.

Interconnect your smoke alarms

The more smoke alarms you have, the safer you are. If your home has a lot of rooms or several storeys, you should also interconnect the smoke alarms (connect them in series). Then, if the smoke alarm goes off in one room, all the other smoke alarms will also sound at the same time. This can give you valuable time to escape, for example, if a fire were to start in the cellar while you were sleeping on the first floor.

The correct place to fit a smoke alarm:

• Smoke alarms must be fitted at the highest point on the ceiling, and at least 50 centimetres from a wall
• Fit at least one smoke alarm on each floor
• In homes that have several storeys, you should fit smoke alarms close to the stairs, so that the noise of the alarm will carry easily through the storeys