Help your neighbours check their smoke alarms and win

As part of Fire and Emergency New Zealand, we all take a lot of pride in keeping communities safe. At 2 am on 27 September we put our clocks forward an hour for the start of daylight saving, and traditionally we’ve promoted checking your smoke alarms are working. This year we’re asking you to do something a little different – by becoming safety ambassadors in your community. 

Let’s help save lives by connecting with our neighbours and making sure their smoke alarms are working properly. You might have an elderly neighbour who needs your help to reach their smoke alarm or a student flat next door that’s always too busy partying to think about it. In New Zealand's multicultural society, you may have a new neighbour that hasn’t heard Fire and Emergency’s safety advice before. 

It’s a great way to share safety messages over a cup of tea and an opportunity to connect with our communities in a casual, friendly way. 

When visiting, you may discover that your neighbour doesn’t have a smoke alarm already. If this is the case, advise them that we are here to help. At no cost to them, someone from their local fire station can visit their home and offer fire safety advice. A Home Fire Safety visit can be booked by calling 0800 693 473 or by calling their local fire station.

This year we're launching an internal campaign we hope you'll embrace. We want to see a photo of you helping your neighbour check their smoke alarm, and to reward you, we're offering a prize. Send your photos to communications@fireandemergency.nz and go into a draw for a $200 supermarket voucher. We'll select a winner on Wednesday 7 October. All photos must be submitted by Monday 5 October at 5 pm.

We encourage you to share the following safety advice: 

• A house fire can kill you in less than three minutes, working smoke alarms are your best early detection.
• Don’t assume your smoke alarms are working. Press the button to check.
• Maintaining smoke alarms is essential through regular checks that they're working. 

As we are currently under Alert Level 2, please follow Ministry of Health guidance when connecting with your neighbours during this campaign. Alert Level 2 protocols must remain in place until at least 11.59 pm on Wednesday, 16 September, when the Government is set to make the next alert level decision. You can find up-to-date information on the Portal

If you have questions, please email: communications@fireandemergency.nz

We look forward to seeing your amazing photos! We also encourage you to share your photos on your own Facebook groups and social media.