11 March 2008
Victoria University's Professor Dorothy Bruck is calling on thousands of Australian mums and dads to participate in a national research campaign, called Wake the Kids, to test the effectiveness of smoke alarms. The research will run until Monday 14th April 2008.
Parents of children aged 5 - 15 years are being asked to set off their smoke alarm and record online at www.vu.edu.au/wakethekids, whether their children wake up. The website contains simple instructions and an online questionnaire for participants to complete. VU researchers will use data from the completed questionnaires to build up a clearer picture of whether current smoke alarms are effective.
Professor Bruck said: "Fire safety is a serious issue and we want a lot of parents to take part. This research could really help save children's lives, and to obtain enough quantitative data for analysis we need 3000 parents to participate across Australia."
"Wake the Kids will help us to understand how likely children are to wake to their home smoke alarm; whether this varies with the age of the child; and where the alarm is positioned. This research will also help the fire safety community to make informed recommendations about alarms, alarm placement and effective fire safety plans for families."
Parents are encouraged to visit the website for more information. Wake the Kids will run from now until Monday 21st April. The last two weeks of the project coincide with the end of Daylight Saving across most states, which is when people should change the batteries in their smoke alarms.
The dates for the end of Daylight Saving are:
NSW, ACT, Victoria, SA, & Tasmania: night of Saturday April 5
WA: night of Saturday March 29
Queensland and NT do not have Daylight Saving
Research results will be posted on the website during May 2008.
The team at Victoria University is internationally renowned for their research into sleep behaviour and smoke alarms. Previous studies under controlled conditions have raised concerns about the effectiveness of smoke alarms in waking children and other groups of 'vulnerable' sleepers, such as the elderly, hard of hearing, and those who have consumed drugs or alcohol.
Further information:
Professor Dorothy Bruck: Mobile: 0428 139 884; Email: Dorothy.Bruck@vu.edu.au
Media Contacts:
Ms Christine White, Media Manager,
Marketing & Communications Department, Victoria University
Ph: (03) 9919 4322; mobile: 0434 602 884
or
Andy Gash, Snr. Media Officer,
Marketing & Communications Department, Victoria University
Ph: (03) 9919 4950; mobile: 0411 255 900
