Primary school children are to be targeted in a campaign to increase awareness of the dangers of fire in the home.
Unveiling National Fire Safety Week today, Minister for the Environment Dick Roche said a programme for fifth-class pupils that has been used in the North would form part of a broader cross-Border campaign.
A month-long television campaign will push the "Live with Smoke Alarms" theme. Research shows that a working smoke alarm reduces the risk of death in a fire by almost 50 per cent.
The Minister said he was determined to increase smoke alarm ownership, which stands at 80 per cent of households in the Republic.
The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service is participating in the campaign with the Department of Environment, which has taken on the role of fire safety promotion as a result of the dissolution of National Safety Council.