There are a variety of different models to choose from. Your local fire and rescue service will be happy to give you advice on which one is best suited for you.

Pros: Can suit dustier areas, such as lofts, the area near your bathroom or rooms where people smoke. Take a look at our best smoke alarms to discover the models that Which? recommends, including smoke alarms that meet the requirements of the new smoke and heat alarms laws in Scotland. What are the right smoke alarms and heat alarms for each room?Make sure you, and everyone in your home, know the fire plan for your building and where fire alarms and fire exits are. As with all buildings, you should plan and practise an escape route. The new regulations also require interlinked smoke alarms to be fitted in all hallways and landings in homes in Scotland. If your home has more than one floor, at least one alarm should be fitted on each level. In this case a combination of optical and ionisation alarms, preferably interconnected, will give the best protection. The regulations state that all homes will need a smoke alarm to be installed in the most used room, which is likely to be the living room in most homes. And an interlinked heat alarm will need to be needed in the kitchen. Keep them clear from curtains and furniture and never use them for drying clothes. Using an electric blanket

As smoke enters, the infrared light is scattered onto the photodiode light receptor, triggering an alarm. They detect the larger smoke particles from slower smouldering fires. If you own a Nest smoke and CO alarm, you will be able to continue to use it but it will need to be in addition to interlinked smoke and heat alarms. An aspirating smoke detector (ASD) or 'Sniffer Unit' is a system often used in fire protection. An ASD system consists of one central detection unit which will draw air through numerous pipes to detect carbon/smoke. An interesting by-product of the new breed of smart alarms is the fire-related data being collected, as is the case with Google, which makes the Nest Protect smoke and CO alarm. Google told us that it uses data from its alarms to provide ‘meaningful insights’ for its customers and to improve the product. So if you’re out of your home and not near your phone when the messages come through, you’ll have no way of knowing the alarm was sounding.Most smoke alarms now have hush buttons, for use where false alarms can be a nuisance e.g. when cooking. The alarm lets you know it’s been silenced by “chirping” or by displaying a red light – while a real fire producing lots of smoke will set it off anyway. Another helpful technology is the ‘Sleep-Easy Function’ which allows you to silence the alarm if a low battery beep starts in the middle of the night. Fire blankets are used to put out a fire or wrap a person whose clothes are on fire. They are best kept in the kitchen.