We're told we should all use smoke detectors in our homes but perhaps I should more than most. Because of my disability, it would take me a lot longer to get out of the house to safety should an emergency arise. Realising this, in the past I've tried various types of smoke alarm but until now have never found one that was hassle free.

What do I mean by hassle free? Well smoke alarms are notorious for being troublesome.

First you have the job of installing them, which means finding a suitable area on the ceiling which will allow you to fix the holding screws into it. This in turn requires that you balance atop stepladders in order to reach the ceiling to carry out the job. Presuming of course that you are not in a wheelchair like me or, worse still, totally inept at DIY, in which case you have to pay good money for a professional to do it for you. This can make even the cheapest smoke detector expensive.

If you have ever fitted smoke alarms in your home then you might remember that sense of safety after doing so. You might also remember that it was short lived, replaced almost immediately by a sense of ongoing frustration. I remember being constantly aggravated by false alarms, especially in the middle of the night.

Then there's the kitchen, an obvious place for an alarm unit if, like me, you manage to burn boiled eggs.

You know the saying 'There's no smoke without fire?' Watch me making toast! I had to resort to wearing ear protectors whenever I made it for no matter how careful I was, I could not stop the alarm going off.

Okay I agree, it's not like this happened every day, more every so often, but it was the so-often bit that was so annoying.

Of course there were occasions when the smoke alarms would stay silent, not a peep, but after a few weeks of this I would be convinced it had flat batteries or they were no longer working. I would then remember the instructions that came with the unit, advising that I regularly check its condition by pressing the 'test alarm' button? No problem, if I was fit, able - and ten feet tall.

You could bet your bottom dollar, after weeks of this good behaviour, the thing would decide to prove its worth right in the middle of a small get together or dinner party. Why? More cooking than usual, cigarette smoke floating around, sheer spite, who knows? One thing for sure was that it had to be stopped.

This would usually involve the person with the most alcohol inside them volunteering to climb up and press the reset button. However, after the third failed attempt to silence the alarm, this would usually lead to them attempting to remove the batteries, which in turn, would more than likely mean practically dismantling the thing completely.

Inevitably, there's not much of a hurry to reassemble the alarm after such an experience, and so ends the life of another potential life saver.

Thinking about it, I have never owned a reliable smoke alarm, let alone for long enough to require new batteries, and considering how long batteries last that does not bode well for the lifespan of your average smoke alarm, does it?

These problems cost lives. According to a Home Office Statistical Bulletin, "Since 1995 there has been a 76% increase in the number of fires where the smoke alarm failed to operate. The main reason each year was missing batteries, which accounted for 42% of failures in 1999, with battery failure adding a further 10%."

FireAngel offers to provide the solution to these problems. It is easy to install; it simply slots into a ceiling light fitting between the socket and the bulb which can be done in less than a minute. There is no need for drilling holes and using hand tools, hence fitting is fuss free and instant. Nuisance alarms become a thing of the past. Should cooking fumes cause the alarm to sound, resetting the FireAngel could not be easier. Just turn the light switch on and off twice, quickly. After a short delay the alarm will be silenced and a 15-minute reduced sensitivity mode activated.

The FireAngel

As for regular testing, simply flick the light switch on and off once, after a short delay the FireAngel enters a self-test cycle.

No batteries are required. The FireAngel is charging whenever the light is on, so there is no need for battery maintenance for its entire 10-year life.

These features make the FireAngel the answer to every family's prayers. A life-saving device with none of the flaws that seem to plague every other domestic smoke alarm on the market.