Jani Himanen, the owner of Virtatie, has had the opportunity to explore numerous homes in Mikkeli over the years. He is concerned about what he has seen.
I have been taken aback by the numerous malfunctioning fire alarms in homes. The battery has died, or the alarm has been removed from its place.
Himanen is pleased that in future the maintenance of fire alarms will be the responsibility of the residential building management. Virtatie is willing to maintain the smoke detectors if the building management so wishes and, for example, installs electronic smoke detectors required in attics of older residential buildings.
Individual house owners will remain accountable for maintaining their fire alarms. Himanen recommends checking smoke detectors regularly to ensure that they are functioning properly. Regardless of where you live, the risk of fire can be significantly reduced by many other methods.
We advise that you do not store extra items on or near the stove, and never dry laundry in the sauna. Using extension cords should be avoided. Every six months, you only need to press a test button in your electrical cabinet to ensure that the residual current protection switch is working properly.
Himanen reminds everyone that the danger of electrical fires and the need for regular maintenance of electrical equipment concerns home owners, as well as industrial operations and small and medium businesses. Fires caused by electrical faults could be prevented by regular maintenance.
Many preventive measures depend on the memory and activity of the inhabitants, as no periodic inspections of electrical equipment are conducted in small houses. Periodic inspections are conducted in apartment buildings, row houses, farms, and business buildings. Virtatie conducts electrical mappings and maintenance, authorised inspectors are not employed by Virtatie.
Loose connections apply to the power centres of both residential and commercial buildings. Their condition can be checked easily by thermal imaging.
While doing maintenance work, we recommend clearing of possible dust, cleaning the surfaces, and checking that cable connections and doors are tight. Covers of electrical centres must be kept closed and the premises clear of any extra items, Himanen recommends.
To ensure that all parts of the electrical equipment remain in good condition and to minimise the risk of fire and malfunctions, we recommend that an electrical professional performs the servicing between periodic inspections.
