• smoke alarms
• fire deaths
• randomised controlled trials

Each year about 300 000 people die in fires.¹ Most of these deaths occur in the home and children and the elderly are at greatest risk.¹ The absence of a smoke alarm is a strong risk factor for death in the event of a house fire.² In some countries, there has been a substantial increase in the proportion of households with smoke alarms over the past two decades. In England and Wales, the proportion of homes with alarms increased from 0% in 1985 to 75% in 1995. This increase in alarms coincided with a substantial fall in fire deaths, although a number of factors apart from smoke alarms might have been responsible for the decline.³ Despite the overall increase in smoke alarm use, ownership is substantially lower (less than 50%) in disadvantaged inner city neighbourhoods and among families living in rented accommodation.⁴ Because the risk of fire and fire related injury is greater in rented and inner city accommodation,^{5, 6} increasing the prevalence of functioning smoke alarms in these homes may have a disproportionate effect on the occurrence of fire deaths and injuries. This would also have the potential to reduce socioeconomic differentials in …