Less than $20 is a small price to pay for a family’s lives. That is the clear message from a couple of incidents in Canberra in the past week when smoke alarms saved two families in separate fires. In one the family’s house was extensively damaged by the people got out in time. In the other the occupants were awakened by the alarm and saved themselves and their dwelling.
Residential smoke alarms do not require electrical wiring or any cutting of existing ceilings or walls. Nor are they expensive. They run from normal AA batteries and are attached with peel-off-and-stick strips. They are very cheap and easily tested. The Fire Brigade will help if necessary. Human’s sense of smell is cut off during sleep so the smell of smoke will not wake someone. It requires noise.
It is not a question of waiting for the government or seeking discounts from insurance companies. Fitting a smoke alarm is cheap and easy. There is no excuse not just doing it.