COULTER CALLS FOR MORE SMOKE ALARM TESTING
Rev Dr Robert Coulter, the Ulster Unionist Party Assembly Member for North Antrim and UUP Stormont Commissioner, has called on constituents to test their smoke alarms after it emerged less than three-quarters of people who have them, tested them.
Dr Coulter, who is also UUP Health Spokesman, made his call after supporting a successful Assembly motion which urged the Health Department to ensure every Northern Ireland home had a working smoke alarm.
Dr Coulter said the Assembly motion and the subsequent debate, should they achieved nothing else, they would “heighten public awareness of the smoke alarm issue”.
The successful Assembly motion, supported by Dr Coulter, stated: “That this Assembly recognises the positive work of voluntary and statutory organisations in installing smoke alarms in homes; expresses concern that many dwellings in both the private- and social-housing sectors still do not have adequate working smoke alarms; and calls on the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, the Department for Social Development and the Department of Finance and Personnel, to undertake a coordinated programme to ensure the provision of working smoke detectors in every home.”
“Dr Coulter added that statistic presented to the Assembly showed there has been an increase of 98% in ownership of smoke alarms in Northern Ireland, and this was to be welcomed.”
“However, only 72% of those are checked regularly. Therefore, the question is not the problem of finance to supply smoke alarms, but the finance necessary to educate people to check their alarms regularly.”
“It seems that the real problem with inefficient smoke alarms is that, in many cases, the batteries have run down, and the householders have not renewed them. Would it not, therefore, be better if all smoke alarms were hard wired?”
“A further statistic that has, rightly, been quoted is the number of privately owned homes with either no smoke alarm, or whose alarm is inefficient.”
“Should this Assembly not recommend that all private homes be statutorily bound to have smoke alarms fitted and hard wired? Furthermore, should it not be the case that smoke alarms are fitted all public-sector houses?”
“The statistics for deaths in house fires are alarming. Although we may congratulate ourselves that the number of deaths has gone down, even one fatality from a fire in a house with no working smoke alarm is one too many.”
“If we are to ask the Fire and Rescue Service to go a bit further, we must look again at supporting resources for its educational programme for householders with smoke alarms.”
“I have wholeheartedly supported this very worthy motion, both personally and as a member of the Committee for Health, Social Services and Public Safety,” said Dr Coulter.”