www.bordermail.com.au

• Smoke alarm beeps annoy. MANY Victorians disconnect their smoke

alarms because they don’t like the noise they make or they are too easily

set off when cooking, a new survey shows.

A study of 240 RACV Insurance customers in Victoria found 47 per cent

intentionally disarmed their smoke detectors.

Some said they deactivated the alarm to change the battery, stop it from

beeping or because their homes were undergoing renovations.

Others said they simply did not like the noise, RACV Insurance said.

RACV Insurance general manager Susan Allen said while the survey did

not determine the length of time the alarms were inactive, it was critical

for all homes to have a working alarm.

“The noise can be annoying, but not compared with the possible

alternatives, such as loss of life,” she said.

Ms Allen said alarms should be positioned so they weren’t set off by

toasters, kettles or stoves.