St. Andrews fire-fighters are going to have a drive to install smoke alarm in every house in the area by next week.

The installations will be provided free of cost and have come just a few months after the Brigade worked with Timaru fire-fighters to install a smoke alarm in every house in Pareora. This is the largest town in the South Canterbury which does not have a fire brigade.

The Fire Services has a plan to install smoke alarms in the Mid and South Canterbury houses. The primary focus is on the houses where they are occupied by elderly citizens in the next 3 years' time.

Chief Fire Officer, Mr. Gordon Hardacre said that the 70 St. Andrews houses will have this fir safety alarm which will enable them to control the situation if there is a fire.

He added, "Guy Fawkes night 12 months ago, we lost a house and that was a major blow to the district. We're starting our first installation, weather permitting, this Tuesday night and we're hoping to do around St Andrews over the next two or three weeks."

Fire Services South Canterbury Area Commander, Mr. Paul Henderson has persuaded for the installation of this 10-year smoke alarm since he moved to New Zealand from Britain 3 years ago.

He said in a statement, "I'm in the process of having all the brigades in our area trained up to carry out home fire safety checks and smoke alarm installation."