Diarmuid Wilson (Fianna Fail)

The education aspect is vital. I am aware of some of the programmes conducted by the local fire services. An excellent programme is conducted in Cavan for third class pupils. I would like to see that extended to secondary schools as a refresher course, if possible.

The main message I want to get across, however, is that without smoke alarms, if there is a fire in your house, there is a 90% chance that you or your family will not wake up. The anomaly is that before the new regulations were introduced in 1997, houses were not required to have smoke alarms in permanent locations. We need an education programme, especially aimed at the owners of those houses, telling them to get fire alarms for every part of their homes. A fire alarm is not a nuisance. Someday, it could save a life.