It's tragic when someone dies in a house fire, but all too often the fire could have been prevented if the property had a working smoke alarm.
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This year Battery World is upping the ante to offer free smoke alarm batteries; just take our old ones in to the store on March 30 or 31.
Battery World Tamworth's Jared Cox said every year they throw their support behind the firies call to change batteries at the end of daylight savings.
"We understand people might come in for extended family, so we will happily give you as many as 20 batteries for your old ones," Mr Cox said.
"Hundreds of thousands of Australians still fail to change their smoke alarm batteries every year.
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"Yet one simple fact does not change - if you haven't got a working smoke alarm you are four times more likely to die in a residential fire than people with a working smoke alarm."
Residents are also being urged to consider installing a smoke alarm in the hall outside where a garage is connected to the house.
"Already this year there have been house fires in every state of Australia that have started in the garage," Mr Cox said.
"The garage can be a virtual time bomb: we are charging our cordless drills, electric bike batteries you name it, often overnight, in an area where we store fuel for the mower or a spare gas bottle for the BBQ.
"Statistics from the firies show, of people who died in a house fire over the last 10 years: more than half did not have a working smoke alarm, two thirds were over 65 or had a disability and nearly two thirds lived alone."
