Hundreds of households identified by local councils as being without smoke alarms and vulnerable to a fire are to be fitted with fire alarms under a new pilot scheme announced by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government yesterday.
The initiative follows research by the Government which indicated that 20 per cent of Irish households have no working smoke alarm.
Funding announced by the Minister for the Environment, Dick Roche, will affect counties Carlow, Cavan, Cork, Galway, Laois, Louth, Offaly, Waterford, Wicklow and DúLaoghaire-Rathdown.
Under the scheme, local councils and voluntary organisations will identify households where there are no smoke alarms and will arrange for the supply and installation of two smoke alarms in each household. The Government expects that 250 homes in each local authority will benefit from the pilot scheme.
At the launch of the scheme in Greystones, Co Wicklow, Mr Roche said he was planning a measures which would ensure every house in the State has two working smoke alarms fitted.
The campaign, which is expected to run until the end of October, will include initiatives aimed particularly at privately-rented homes and student accommodation.
A review of the scheme's effectiveness will be carried out in consultation with the participating local authorities with a view to extending it nationwide next year.