Until you have been in one, you have no idea how terrifying a house fire can be. In fact, you may have as little as 15 seconds to escape from the time a fire takes hold, so you need to take precautions to protect yourself, your family and your home.

The very first and most obvious thing to do is to make sure your smoke alarms work properly and for that matter, to make sure you have the best smoke alarms fitted and fitted properly.

New and substantially renovated homes are now required to have interconnected smoke alarms in all bedrooms, in hallways where bedrooms are connected, and on each and every level of the residence. This applies to homes where building applications were lodged after 1 January 2017.

Requirements for existing homes will be phased in over 10 years.

Interconnected smoke alarms will be required from:

• 1 January 2022 in all homes leased and sold
• 1 January 2027 in all other homes.

To comply with the new laws, homeowners can install either hardwired 240V smoke alarms or non-removable 10-year battery smoke alarms. However, any existing hardwired 240V smoke alarm must be replaced with a hardwired 240V photoelectric smoke alarm. The installation of hardwired 240V smoke alarms must be performed by a licenced electrician.

In existing homes, it is possible to have a combination of smoke alarms, which can be 240V or battery operated and interconnectivity which can be both wired and wireless.

But . . . although current alarms less than 10 years old need only be replaced when they expire, home safety is so important that it shouldn’t really be a matter of “hey, I’m okay I have smoke alarms fitted”.  We would suggest that you should make sure the existing alarms are effective, are placed in the right positions and are just as good as those required by law for brand-new buildings.

Think about this. New homes are designed with fire safety as a particular requirement while many existing homes still have materials in them that are far more flammable than in today’s new builds. Where is the sense in risking your life and that of your loved ones by failing to take basic precautions?

When a fire starts, smoke and fumes are the first danger to guard against, but also the first indicator you have a major problem. When you sleep, your sense of smell also sleeps but photoelectric smoke alarms will alert you early, so you can escape.

Interconnected alarms alert you no matter where you are or where the fire starts. That’s an amazingly simple improvement in today’s alarm systems that are sure to save many more lives than previously possible.

We can fit alarms of the right type in the right places, economically and quickly, working with whatever situation your house presents. Alarms can be mains powered or have 10 year batteries and wireless connection.

Our task is to provide you with a silent guardian which is guaranteed to continually consider your safety. Take advantage of our expertise and keep yourself and your family safe at all times, especially when sleeping. Phone us now on 07 5554 2200 or email now for complete details.

In August 2016, the Queensland Government passed new state smoke alarm legislation laws in response to the devastating 2011 Slacks Creek house fire, which cut short 11 lives.

The new legislation takes effect as of 1 January 2017 and ‘all smoke alarms in all dwellings must be photoelectric (as per Australian standard 3786), not contain an ionisation sensor, be less than 10 years old, operate when tested and be interconnected with every other smoke alarm in the same dwelling so all activate together’ (excerpt from the Legislation).

What do you need to do to ensure your home is safe and meets legal requirements?

Photoelectric is a type of smoke alarm and is the method by which the device uses to detect smoke. Before panicking that you don’t have one, check your current smoke alarms- if you have a photoelectric type it will have either “photoelectric”, “optical”, “photo optical” or the letter “P” on the unit. If it doesn’t, then you should replace your alarm. As for interconnected, basically when one smoke alarm detects smoke, all smoke alarms will be sound off alerting everyone in the household.

Examples of the P symbol that can be found on photoelectric smoke alarms.The other major change in the legislation is the where and how many need to be installed- smoke alarms must be installed in every bedroom and in all hallways connecting between bedrooms and other parts of each storey.

When do you need to get all this done by?

This depends on your circumstances. If you need to replace smoke alarms, you must replace them with the photoelectric type from 1 January 2017 and must have your entire dwelling comply with the legislation from 1 January 2027. If you are building or making substantial renovations, all building works approved after 1 January 2017 must comply. If you’re selling, leasing or renewing lease all existing obligations will continue after January 1 2017 and the property must be completely compliant as of 1 January 2022. If you sell your property after January 1 2017, you must lodge a Form 24 with the Queensland Land Registry Office stating the new legislative requirements have been met.

You can look up further information on the Queensland Government website and you can also download info sheets from Queensland Fire and Emergency Service. Alternatively, you can give us a call on (07) 5554 2200 to discuss how we can help you achieve compliance and to make a booking with us today!