A fire at home is a very tragic thing. In Spain, safety precautions are not as high as in other countries. We believe that maybe this is due to the fact that in Spain there is no legislation concerning the protection of a house regarding fire. This may be a great mistake, because every week there are fires with catastrophic consequences to houses. At worst, there are casualties.

THE MOST AFFECTED PLACES ARE THE BEDROOM AND THE LIVING ROOM

In France, every house must have a smoke detector. In Germany and in the United Kingdom it is compulsory to allocate resources for security in the home. This does not happen in Spain. However, some associations have mobilized in order to demand that a legislation is created. Ironically enough, fires in the homes are, unfortunately, plentiful and this is a matter of great concern. In 2014, the disaster victims due to domestic fires were 116, more than in 2013. The usual causes are household appliances which are in bad condition, faulty installations, carelessness regarding heaters and even cigarettes. These accidents normally take place in the living room and in the bedroom.

THE IMPORTANCE OF A SMOKE DETECTOR

If you have a smoke detector at home, it may save your life because it warns you when it detects smoke and therefore it is crucial to put out the fire at a very early stage. We recommend you to install smoke detectors in the living room and in each bedroom because these are the places where fires usually start. If the house has more than one floor, a smoke detector should be installed in each one. Smoke detectors are placed in the ceiling because smoke goes upwards and therefore it is easier to detect there.

The price of a smoke detector depends on your choice and decision. We may calculate that for a home with a built surface of 100 m2, it can cost 1.000 euros. We must consider it money well spent if we think about the enormous benefit it can generate. In Spain, residents´ associations are not properly protected. It is estimated that around 30% of the communities of neighbours have no protection against fires neither in the garage, landings nor in the lobby of the buildings. Will Spanish legislation change in order to condition the installations?