Hard-wire alarms 'and stop needless deaths'

Smoke alarms should be hard-wired to stop people taking out the batteries and making them useless when they're most needed, Northland's coroner says.
The recommendation comes in the wake of a house fire that killed 58-year-old Hazel Barlow, who died alone in her Kaikohe flat after falling asleep while smoking. She had previously taken the battery out of the flat's smoke alarm.
Coroner Brandt Shortland found Ms Barlow died from carbon monoxide poisoning after inhaling smoke on October 6 last year.
The fire started between the bed and the wall and when Ms Barlow woke and tried to escape she inhaled hot smoke and toxic gases and collapsed on the floor.
Mr Shortland concluded Ms Barlow's need to smoke ultimately caused her death and if the smoke alarm had been functioning she would still be alive.
"I find this an unnecessary death and had the smoke alarm had not been tampered with and the battery removed then it would have provided sufficient warning, enough for the fire service to respond and save the deceased's life," Mr Shortland said.
"Installation of smoke alarms throughout New Zealand properties should be hard-wired to avoid any tampering or malfunction as a result of human intervention when it is really needed."
During the inquest, fire investigator Craig Bain expressed the frustration felt by the New Zealand Fire Service at the inability to save lives when smoke alarms had been tampered with.
An inspection of the other flats in the Far North District Council-owned Tawanui Rd complex revealed missing batteries from many other smoke alarms.
Mr Shortland considered whether the service needed more money to overcome the problem, but senior officers told him education and funding had not helped.
Making it mandatory to install hard-wired smoke alarms in new houses could be a way to reduce fatal house fires, a top Northland firefighter agreed.
Northland Fire Service assistant regional commander Mike Lister backed the coroner's recommendation, saying the advantages of smoke alarms which could not be tampered with far outweighed the additional cost.
"I'd like to see this recommendation taken on by the Government and have alarms put in every new home that is built."
He said thousands of hours and dollars had been spent on making Northland homes safer, thanks to the Te Kotahitanga smoke alarm project, but people kept taking batteries out.
Hard-wired smoke alarms look similar to battery-operated alarms but are powered by mains electricity and have a battery for back up.
They cost between $62 and $79 and about another $60 to install.
Insurance Council chief Chris Ryan said while it was not mandatory for homes to have smoke alarms, some insurance companies could refuse to insure high-risk buildings without them.