Test it Tuesday is a campaign that was encouraged by the fire and rescue services, it was put in place to encourage that we all take the time to test not just our own smoke alarms, but the smoke alarms of family and friends as well.

Working smoke alarms as we all know save lives, but from time to time we all need a gentle reminder that we need to make sure they are in full working order.

Fires can start at any time and for many reasons. Having a working smoke alarm can make the difference between  getting out safely or not at all.

Regular testing of your alarm will give you the peace of mind that should fire start, you will be given the warning you need to escape.

It is important that we also encourage or  help our friends, families and to ensure that the too have alarms insulted and in good working order – not everyone will remember or be physically able to install or check their own alarms so a few minuets of your time could be of huge benefits.

With all the above in mind this is where the social media #testittuesday came into play, getting anyone that has links to the fire service, fire safety, or security using the # slogan to spread the word to its users or followers so that they also remember to check alarms.

It is a simple idea with a very important message, and one that has been fully adopted and shared. In fact, every Tuesday over 200 tweets with the #TestItTuesday hashtag are send from accounts around the UK and in the past month #TestItTuesday has featured in over 1,700 tweets

Sometimes people don’t check alarms because they are not within easy reach, it is reported that some 85% of people put themselves at risk of injury when checking alarms.

Checking your alarms is a simple task you can do within a few minutes, but what happens if your alarms do not sound when you are testing it, not only does it mean it won’t alert you if there was a fire but also that there is a fault with it which will need addressing as soon as possible.

Test it Tuesday is not just for the awareness of smoke alarms but all alarms, such as your carbon monoxide alarm (the silent killer) it has no smell or signs so an alarm is the key equipment into letting you know you are in danger.

The #testittuesday also hopes to make people more aware about the importance of testing your alarms, at home, work or for your family, if a member of your family has any kind of alarm system then it is important tis is also checked regularly and is in full working order.

Follow us on social media to get your weekly reminder, don’t test your luck, test your alarm