FIREFIGHTERS are urging Dorset residents to make their New Year’s resolution to test their smoke alarms regularly.

Alarms should be kept in good working order and tested every week, Dorset Fire and Rescue Service said.

And January is the perfect time to make a fresh start and ensure safety is first in the home.

The campaign has been launched across the county headed by Chief Fire Officer Darran Gunter.

A service spokesman said: “We’re encouraging everyone to make sure they have enough smoke alarms in the home and that they work. It only takes a few seconds and saves lives.

“A smoke alarm can give someone extra seconds they need to escape in a fire. While the majority of homes across the country now have an alarm fitted, most people are not aware the average alarm has a lifespan of just 10 years and then needs replacing.”

The spokesman added: “For people who live in a multi-storey home or a larger property, a single smoke alarm is simply not enough. Last year, in nearly half of all fires in the home where the smoke alarm did not give a warning, the reason was that the alarm was not close enough to detect the fire.

“Missing or flat batteries were another major cause.”

Firefighters suggest testing your smoke alarm each week, making sure that there is at one smoke alarm on every level of the home, checking the alarm is less than 10 years old, fitting smoke alarms on landings and hallways and near bedrooms and also considering putting them in rooms with electrical appliances in.