In the event of a fire in your house, you have three minutes to escape. That’s not much and a well-functioning, loudly beeping smoke detector can therefore save lives. And although the number of smoke detectors in homes has increased sharply, not everyone understands their importance yet.
Since 1 July 2022, a smoke detector is mandatory for all homes. In fact, there should be one on every floor. Housing associations are busy supplying smoke detectors and often installing them as well. However, they are regularly behind schedule. Not everyone has yet complied with the obligation among private homeowners.
This is apparent, for example, from a tour of a shopping center in Breda. “I’ve been planning to do it for a while, but it’s not happening,” says a man carrying a full shopping bag. “I know you have to, but forget it every time,” says another, “and that’s stupid because it’s a small effort.”
“I’ve had smoke detectors for 15 years, because it’s really important.”
Fortunately, a large majority indicate that they have smoke detectors in their homes. Each for its own reason. “Because it has to be, isn’t it,” says a woman. A man a little further down the road is more aware of it: “I’ve had them for fifteen years, because it’s very important.”
Research by insurer Interpolis shows that 81 percent of people are aware of the smoke detector obligation. And three quarters think the measure will be useful. Yet people also have doubts and that is mainly because there is no enforcement or control. In the Netherlands, the municipalities are responsible for this. “We are now mainly focusing on prevention and persuasion”, the municipality of Breda, for example, says.
“A smoke detector can make the difference between life and death.”
It’s not all that difficult either. “Smoke detectors are for sale everywhere and hanging is a very simple job“, says Bertwin van Setten, risk management advisor at the fire service. “And maintenance, making dust-free, is also little work. We do recommend opting for a smoke detector with a quality mark and a battery that lasts ten years.”
For a small investment you can get a lot back, because every year people die in house fires because people were not able to leave their homes on time. According to the Netherlands Institute for Public Safety (NIPV), 33 people died in 29 fatal domestic fires last year. The fire brigade found that a working smoke detector was present in only 7 of those cases.
Last year, according to the NIPV, half of Dutch households did not yet have smoke detectors at home. “In the event of a fire, a smoke detector can really make the difference between life and death,” says Bertwin van Setten of the Central and West Brabant fire brigade. “But also whether you can return to your home after a house fire after a few days or only after a few months.”
In the first quarter of this year, ten people were killed in fires. That is why the Netherlands Fire Brigade and the Dutch Burns Foundation campaigned in the spring ‘Smoke Detectors Save Lives’. “The results are not yet known,” says Ellen te Riele of the NIPV. “But we do notice that the campaign has been very successful. From 1 October there will be a new campaign to freshen things up.”
In any case, there are hopeful sounds from practice. “We see that more and more lives are being saved by smoke detectors,” says firefighter Bertwin van Setten. “Looks like the message is getting through.”
The figures from Interpolis also indicate that many people have bought smoke detectors. Perhaps the insurers can give the doubters one last push by including the obligation in the policies. “It is not on the schedule,” says Thijs Rösken of Interpolis, “but we do advise people to just do it, because it is sensible.”
