General fire safety advice
Smoke alarms
It is extremely important that you have a working smoke alarm in your home.
Do not tamper with the smoke detectors in your home. They are there to give you an early warning in the event of a fire and could save your life.
Test your alarm once a week
You should test your smoke alarm every week (unless you live in a high rise flats or housing plus housing).
To test your smoke alarm:
- press the 'Test' button for 5 seconds
- a loud siren should come from the alarm
- if the alarm doesn't make a sound (or if it's quiet), your batteries may need replacing
If your battery needs replacing, please replace it.
If you have any concerns about your alarm, .
If your alarm keeps going off
If your smoke alarm is chirping, beeping, or keeps going off, the battery probably needs replacing.
If your battery needs replacing, please replace it.
If you have any concerns about your alarm, .
Report a fault
If you think there is a problem with your smoke alarm, report this to us straight away.
High-rise, independent living and Housing Plus buildings
If you live in one of these buildings, your smoke alarm is hard-wired, as part of a fire alarm system.
You don't need to test it yourself - this would cause unwanted call outs to the fire service.
The smoke alarm in your flat is monitored by South Tyneside Homes and tested once a year.
If you have any concerns about your smoke alarm, please .
More information for people living in high rise flats, low rise homes, and housing plus housing.