The obligation has applied to new-build homes since 2003; now the government will also impose it on existing homes from 1 July. Homeowners are responsible for installing the smoke detectors themselves. The landlord is responsible for rental properties.
The WoonMonitor, a study by insurer Interpolis, shows that 17 percent of Dutch households do not have a smoke detector at home. Among tenants this is slightly higher: 20 percent.
Lax and ignorant
“The reason is usually that they just don’t think about it,” says Thijs Rösken of Interpolis. “Just ignorance. Often there is also a certain laxity. People put it off. Many households have one in a drawer, but forget to hang it.”
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In addition, people may dread the alleged hassle of hanging up, replacing batteries and testing whether it still works. It also often happens that smoke detectors that are hanging no longer work, usually because the batteries are empty.
Test button
According to the Institute for Physical Safety, the latter would apply to about a third of all hanging smoke detectors. “It is therefore advisable to press the test button every now and then,” says Rösken.
The Interpolis survey has shown that 73 percent of the Dutch population is not or hardly concerned about the risk of fire.
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“We applaud it when people put up smoke detectors,” Rösken continues. “It can be just the difference that you can bring yourself to safety. That is why we have also sent our policyholders with a home or household insurance policy a card with information about this. There is no change to the coverage of our insurance.”
3 minutes
“A fire can spread to such an extent within 3 minutes that you can no longer leave the house,” says René de Feijter, fire researcher at research laboratory Efectis. “In the past, when all furniture was made of oak, it took longer. But now, with all the plastics in the house, such as the foam rubber in your sofa, it goes very quickly.”
This also shows the video below from Efectis:
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De Feijter also welcomes the obligation to smoke detectors. “People who don’t have one may think it’s happening to the neighbors. But yes, the neighbors think so too. It’s just going to save lives. When you sleep, you don’t smell any burning smell. A detector can warn you just in time.”
Fires are mainly caused by everyday inattention, he says, such as accidents in the kitchen, where the stove is left on, for example. “Not paying attention with the iron is also one of them. Or falling asleep with a burning cigarette.”
Cheap chargers
A striking cause that the researcher mentions are chargers and batteries of rechargeable equipment. “And especially chargers of poor quality, which people order online, for example if the original charger is lost or broken. With the cheaper chargers, you have a greater risk that something will go wrong.”
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