PEOPLE living in Tenbury and the Teme Valley are being warned that if they have a single fire alarm in their home they may be living under a false sense of security.
The warning comes from the Hereford and Worcester Fire Service.
Fire chiefs say that latest fire statistics reveal that one smoke alarm may not be enough to provide people with the best chance of escaping a fire in the home.
Most people know a working smoke alarm can save lives by providing those vital few seconds needed to escape a house fire.
But, despite the majority of homes (89 per cent) having at least one working smoke alarm in their home, smoke alarms alerted householders to a fire in England in only a third of cases.
The most common reason a smoke alarm failed to activate was because the fire was outside its range.
For this reason, the Fire Kills campaign and Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service is encouraging people to have a think about the smoke alarms in their home.
"If you don't have enough, or they are not in the right place, you might not be alerted in time," said station commander Stuart Crebbin.
The advice includes having smoke alarms on every level in the home, placing them near where people sleep and in the vicinity of electrical appliances.
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