Smoke detectors

[Mauve Fon Baumstein 0]

So after having the kitchen catch fire this morning, a question came to mind. Where is our smoke detector? Are there no laws pertaining to these invaluble devices. It's a disaster waiting to happen. Highly flammable apartments, no smoke detectors...

[eurovol 126]

I have three up at my house. No law says that you have too, but your foolish if you don't.

[Katrina 4,522]

Hiya,

smoke detectors are only required in new homes in the federal states of Saarland and Rhineland-Pfalz. Not in Bavaria.

The website "Rauchmelder-Lebensretter.de" has lots of good information about smoke detectors.

There is currently a product recall for smoke detectors sold via Aldi so if you have one of those, please get it checked.

Optical smoke detectors with the "VdS" (Verband der Schadenverhütung) are your best choice but the site recommends quite a few including radio-linked devices which may be good for a large house (you might not hear the alarm otherwise).

And here is more information from the Bavarian Firemen's Association (inlcuding a list of fatal fires where death could have possibly been prevented through the use of a smoke detector).

As there is no equivalent German standard, the strict British Standard (BS) 5446 is considered the gold standard. Buy a product which meets this standard and you'll be buying a good one. Of course this means nothing if you don't fit it, don't check it, don't check the batteries...

I bought mine at Obi.

Hope that your fire wasn't too bad! At least you are safe.

Katrina

[Plane Girl 3]

ya know what micheel we have 6 after telling tim the story, one on kitchen, by kids room, one RIGHt outside my room, and the parents...etc hmmmmmm lets hope they have good aupair insurance

[Tim Hortons Man 542]

I've never heard of anyone buying one or never seen them. No one I know has one.

 

Which struck me as odd at first

 

rob

[Katrina 4,522]

I find it odd too. TV ads reminding people to not only fit but also test their systems are often shown on UK telly.

Here are a couple more sites:

Verband der Schadenverhütung Site (in English)

Brandschutzerziehung-bayern.de gives information about fire prevention to kids

And want to find a carbon monoxide monitor (gas leak alarm)? Good luck. I got mine in the UK.

Why? Because natural gas in the UK has perfume added to give it that gas smell (so that people can locate the leak).

Never smelt gas in Germany? That's because gas here isn't scented. You won't smell it.

[kitkat64 461]

Two fire/smoke alarms were one of the first things we bought when we moved into our apartment three years ago. In the States, we take it for granted because they are required but here - well, seems safety is never first(as little kids ride their bikes everywhere without helmets).

[Katrina 4,522]

RoSPA (the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) now collates home accident statistics for the UK (here are the 2002 results as a pdf file)

Here are some examples:

949 accidents involving a coffee table.

11 involving a steel scouring pad.

575 accidents involving socks, tights or stockings.

103 involving high heels, platform or wedge shoes

15 involving hair removal wax

418 cotton wool bud accidents. In a year.

6 involving vomit, 3 involving faeces or excement, 3 involving bodily excretion (other).

14 accidents involving toilet roll holders?

40 accidents caused by cheese, 690 by vegetables (non-specific), 169 donkey-related incidents...

this could keep me going for days...

[Showem 868]

More people injured by cheese than hair removal wax. How interesting. No, really, in a bizarre way. I'm going to spend the next hour wondering how one is injured by cheese, rather than a knife or an allergy...

[Katrina 4,522]

I know. My brain is boggled.

Maybe they stood on it and fell over?

Or a kiddie stuck it up their nose?

Choking on a crumbly piece of Cheshire?

That is the fascinating thing about these figures, you can't help but wonder how?

[Malcolm Spudbury 3,453]

They were so busy concentrating on wondering how the cheese was dangerous that they didn't look where they were going and walked under a bus. Or something.

 

Back on topic: how does a smoke alarm help me if I'm out of the house most of the time? If my kitchen decides to catch fire during the day, a little box on the ceiling going peep-peep-peep isn't going to stop the apartment from burning down. Probably safer to not leave your appliances plugged in through a cheap travel adaptor.

[eurovol 126]

Most people die from smoke inhalation and not by being burned alive. The beep beep beep is for when you are at home, asleep or passed out.

[Katrina 4,522]

It might alert your neighbours and get them to call the Fire Brigade?

But they might hate you and want you to burn in hell anyway (so your flat burning down will just get the job done quicker)?

No a smoke detector may not help you personally at the times when you are not in your apartment. It might help your neighbours and give them a warm glow from your community spirit (rather than a warm glow from their personal possessions in flames). They might even call the fire bridgade early enough so that the fire stays in your kitchen (which is what happened to me when I lived in Schwabing - had a kitchen fire, wasn't in, smoke alarm went off, neighbour called fire brigade, fire restricted to kitchen only).

[nilpferd 4]

I did a lesson on this with my students in France: did you know that tea cosies were lethal? well, now you do, don't remember the stats, but numerous maimings and injuries caused by the little rascals...

[Katrina 4,522]

36 from tea cloths, 1 from kitchen or other table linen in 2002 according to RoSPA.

"Yours" magazine puts the figure at 37 for tea cosies quoting the "Home and Leisure Accident Surveillance System" published by the DTi in 2001 (which has now been outsourced to RoSPA).

Tea cosies must therefore either have become safer or less used between 2001 and 2002.

The Guardian also states that four times as many people are injured by glossy magazines than by chainsaws.

Malc, are you going to fit one now?

[kitkat64 461]

Exactly how can there be

"575 accidents involving socks, tights or stockings"?

[Blimeygirl 30]

 

14 accidents involving toilet roll holders? huh.gif

Probably women beating men to death for not putting a new roll on when the old one is empty.

 

:lol:

[Katrina 4,522]

Precisely. And according to this article in the UK "Independent", the lady from RoSPA thinks the same way as I do.

[boomtown_rat 629]

 

Exactly how can there be

"575 accidents involving socks, tights or stockings"?

 

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

you can be hopping around triyng to pull a sock off and trip over. In fact, I can imagine doing it myself

[Kat 59]

 

Exactly how can there be

"575 accidents involving socks, tights or stockings"?

 

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

My (dirty) mind has a few novel ideas. I think there are also a few British PM's who could tell you if they hadn't died wearing them. :P