The Estonian Rescue Board last week inspected more than 4,000 homes to check for the presence of smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, finding that 86% of residences had at least one smoke detector that was correctly installed and functioning.
Officials visited 4,081 homes as part of the process including 2,092 flats and 1,989 private homes. Functioning and correctly installed smoke detectors were found in 3,490 homes (86%). 199 homes (5%) had no smoke detector at all, while 389 (10%) had one that was not properly installed or was not functioning.
“Last year we found functioning smoke detectors in 75% of homes, and so this year the result is much better,” says Maret Rannala, director of the Safety Supervision Department at the Rescue Board. “Overall we can say that people are aware of the necessity of detectors and are interested in their proper functioning. We are concerned, however, about elderly individuals who live alone, whose abode may be in poor conditions, and who require comprehensive assistance in their daily lives. There are 600 homes where rescue officials will conduct follow-up visits for on-site consultations. This will happen in consultation with local governments.”
Rannala adds that in most cases where a fire causes casualties, it is later found that no smoke detector was present. This is true in many residential fires.
“This indicates that fires occur more frequently in places where fire safety regulations are less observed,” she said.
During the inspections, rescue officials often found themselves explaining the need for smoke detectors and how detectors work. Many people did not know that a smoke detector and a carbon monoxide detector are two different things which do not substitute for one another.
The Rescue Board launched 53 misdemeanour proceedings against people who did not have smoke or carbon monoxide detectors.
By law, every home in Estonia must have at least one functioning smoke detector. The recommendation is to have one on every floor or even in every room. Carbon monoxide detectors, in turn, must be present in every building with a solid heating system or gas appliances.
During the first eight months of 2024, 26 people died in 22 fires in Estonia. There was no smoke detector in 17 of the residential buildings (85%) at which fires cost human lives. During this period, there have been reports of 77 people who escaped a fire in 40 homes because a working smoke detector was present there.
Source: BNS
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