Why do people do it, that is, why do people put themselves, their family and all their worldly possessions at risk, just for the sake of spending less than a fiver on a smoke alarm?

These days with so many electronic items in our households the humble smoke alarm is a necessity, I know that all electrical items should be turned off and disconnected from the sockets when not in use, but how many of us do it, the usual excuse is that `Oh I will have to reset the timer each time the electric is switched on` or `The socket is buried behind the furniture` and then there are of course the dangers of falling a sleep with a cigarette still lit, the chip pan on the cooker or even a box of matches carelessly left lying about and a child getting a hold of them.

Ideally each household should have a minimum of 2 smoke alarms, 1 sited in the hallway and the other on the landing, in my case the smoke alarm I have on the landing has a built in escape light to illuminate the stairs in the event of a fire.

Each smoke alarm comes with a battery, fixing screws and instructions for the sighting and testing of your smoke alarm. In fact these products have now got so cheap, it is almost cheaper to replace the whole unit, each time the battery requires replacing.

Testing can be carried out by pressing the test button on the smoke alarm or you can purchase special smoke matches designed for this purpose.

You can purchase smoke alarms from almost everywhere DIY Shops, Supermarkets, Argos etc, I even think, if you contact your local fire prevention officer at the local fire station you may even be able to get them free and even fitted by the people who know best (the fire brigade) as it is in their interest to prevent fires.

So for all those DOOYOOER`S out there that do not have a smoke alarm I hope this opinion has made you think again about smoke alarms.