NEARLY 9,000 Waterside children are better prepared to survive a fire in the home - thanks to Target 2000.

The Fire Service campaign to get a smoke alarm into every youngster's bedroom has achieved almost blanket coverage in schools from Calshot to Calmore. Most schools in the area are holding a non-uniform day to sponsor free alarms for each pupil, and fire officers are visiting each school to explain the safety issues.

Leading Firefighter Howard Watts, who works on the community safety programme, said: "As more children are getting electrical equipment in their bedrooms - like computers and TVs - the fire risk increases.

"And often, children sleep with the door shut, so it becomes more important to have a smoke alarm in their bedroom, to give them vital extra seconds to escape."

Administration officer Nicky Hawkins, from Langdown School, Hythe, helped organise Target 2000 on the Waterside.

She said: "Most pupils are aware of the importance of smoke alarms in the home, and to have one in the bedroom is a development of that idea."