Incidence of fires and related injuries after giving out free smoke alarms: cluster randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE

To measure the effect of giving out free smoke alarms on rates of fires and rates of fire related injury in a deprived multiethnic urban population.

DESIGN

Cluster randomised controlled trial.

SETTING

Forty electoral wards in two boroughs of inner London, United Kingdom.

PARTICIPANTS

Primarily households including elderly people or children and households that are in housing rented from the borough council.

INTERVENTION

20 050 smoke alarms, fittings, and educational brochures distributed free and installed on request.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Rates of fires and related injuries during two years after the distribution; alarm ownership, installation, and function.

RESULTS

Giving out free smoke alarms did not reduce injuries related to fire (rate ratio 1.3; 95% confidence interval 0.9 to 1.9), admissions to hospital and deaths (1.3; 0.7 to 2.3), or fires attended by the fire brigade (1.1; 0.96 to 1.3). Similar proportions of intervention and control households had installed alarms (36/119 (30%) v 35/109 (32%); odds ratio 0.9; 95% confidence interval 0.5 to 1.7) and working alarms (19/118 (16%) v 18/108 (17%); 0.9; 0.4 to 1.8).

CONCLUSIONS

Giving out free smoke alarms in a deprived, multiethnic, urban community did not reduce injuries related to fire, mostly because few alarms had been installed or were maintained.