Safety in your home: Smoke alarms

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​Is your home electrically safe with professionally installed Hard Wired Smoke Alarms?

Did you know, due to the new Smoke alarm regulations, it is a legal requirement for all households to have 240 volt hard wired smoke alarms installed? Smoke alarms are a crucial contribution towards providing a safe protected home for your family. 

Did you know there is a household fire every 26 minutes in Australia? More than 50 people across Australia die each year as a result of home fires, with many more injured. This is because many of these homes do not have a working smoke alarm. 

Ensure maximum protection for you and your property and ensure you have working smoke alarms installed.  Only working smoke alarms can provide the critical early warning needed to save lives and minimize property damage. When you are asleep you lose your sense of smell. A smoke alarm is your electronic nose and will alert you if there is smoke from a fire.
A small fire can grow to involve an entire room in up to four minutes. A smoke alarm provides early warning and time to escape.

New smoke alarm regulations require owners to have mains powered smoke alarms fitted to all residential properties in Western Australia that are subject to sale, rent or hire. It is the responsibility of the owner to ensure that the smoke alarms fitted are:

• Need to be tested and cleaned regularly,
• Need to be replaced after 10 years,
• In working order, and
• Permanently connected to mains power.​

There are two main types of smoke detectors used in a domestic applications, Photoelectric and Ionisation Smoke Alarms. Each alarm detects smoke and fire at different stages.

• Photoelectric Smoke Alarms

Photoelectric smoke alarms detect smoke before there is a fire present. These alarms are highly sensitive to early warning detection and allows you to exit your premises at the earliest stage of a fire and still be able to breath without inhaling too much smoke.​

• Ionisation Smoke Alarms

Ionisation smoke alarms detect the sense of smoke from fire flames and are widely used to detect fast flaming fires. At this stage visibility can become an issue and exiting becomes much more difficult.


The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) recommends photoelectric smoke alarms.


Hardwired smoke alarm installation is mandatory in all newly constructed or renovated Perth homes. For new homes, the smoke alarms must be installed with 240 Volt mains-powered with battery back-ups in case of power failure. so they need to be installed by a licensed electrician. 

Depending on the layout of your house, you should have more than one smoke alarm and they should be interconnected so that if one goes off, so do the rest, therefore maximizing the chances of alerting everyone in the house. The alarms must comply with the requirements of the Australian Standard AS 3786.
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Selling or buying a property? ​

From 1 October 2009 it became law for mains powered smoke alarms to be installed into all existing residential buildings prior to sale. These requirements are mandatory under the Local Government (Miscellaneous provisions) Act 1960 section 248 and the Local Government Act 1995 section 9.60, and the Building Amendments Regulations 2009.

Renting?

If you are renting a property, mains powered smoke alarms must be installed. These requirements are mandatory under the Local Government (Miscellaneous provisions) Act 1960 section 248 and the Local Government Act 1995 section 9.60, and the Building Amendments Regulations 2009.

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​How do I test and clean my smoke alarm?

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• Monthly: Test by pressing the test button with a broom handle

• Yearly: Vacuum around your smoke alarm vents

• Yearly: Use a surface insect spray around the smoke alarm to prevent insects nesting inside

• Yearly: Replace your 9 volt battery each year on 1 April

JJSmith Electrical can guide you towards the best solution for your home. 240volt hard wired smoke alarms are most common in bedrooms and open living spaces. Our Perth Electricians can advise you on suitable locations to install smoke alarms and what type of smoke alarm to install. It is recommended that you change the batteries in your smoke alarms every year to ensure they are operating correctly and efficiently. Our electricians install hard wired smoked alarms and connect them to your homes power supply and a battery back-up in case of power failure ensuring protection constantly.



JJSmith Electrical can test your existing smoke alarms on site and replace your batteries to ensure your home is in safe condition. Our Electrical Services Perth are available 24 hours, 7 days a week and our Perth Electricians are based in Perth to enable a professional and prompt response. JJSmith Electrical will work with you to step by step offering experienced advice on design, safety and practicality, which when coupled with our efficient, friendly service, guarantee the safety of your commercial business.  We take pride in all of our work and every job requires the highest level of our attention to detail.Our electricians know about electrical safety and we are trained to know the safest way to carry out electrical work. It is important to have all electrical work carried out by a licensed electrician for legal and insurance reasons. 
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Call JJSmith Electrical on 0400 238 040 or email j.smith@jjsmithelectrical.com.au now to have your home made safe. After all, your house is your life.



Related Publications

• Smoke Alarms - Legislative Requirements FAQs (PDF - 551 KB)
• Smoke Alarms - Legislative Requirements - Renting, Selling or Hiring Your Property(PDF - 589 KB)
• Fact Sheet 1 - Types of Smoke Alarms (PDF - 599 KB)
• Fact Sheet 2 - Change your Smoke Alarm Battery (PDF - 537 KB)
• Fact Sheet 3 - Replace your Smoke Alarm every 10 Years (PDF - 535 KB)
• Fact Sheet 4 - Maintaining your Smoke Alarms (PDF - 552 KB)
• Fact Sheet 5 - Installing Smoke Alarms (PDF - 1129 KB)

Note:

Parts of this page was copied and pasted from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) website. This page is correct as of 29/10/2016
For more information, go to the Department of Fire and Emergency Services website at:

https://www.dfes.wa.gov.au/safetyinformation/fire/fireinthehome/Pages/smokealarms.aspx