What does the new smoke alarm legislation mean for you?
The new legislation states that every residence is required to be fitted with:
Photoelectric smoke alarms
An interconnected smoke alarm system
Smoke alarms in all bedrooms
Smoke alarms in hallways
Either in a hardwired interconnected system installed by a licenced electricianor a system of 10-year lithium battery alarms with wireless interconnectivity.
When?
The installation timeframe is set within the 10-year phased rollout and will vary depending on your situation.
Homes built or significantly renovated with a completion date after 1 January 2017 will need to be installed with the new alarm system
Any homes leased or sold from 1 January 2017 will need to meet compliance after 5 years
All owner occupied residents will need to meet compliance after 10 years
Also, all smoke alarms being replaced after this date must be photoelectric alarms.
Benefits of this style of smoke alarm system
An interconnected photoelectric smoke alarm system has been proven to provide the best protection and the fastest response time in a range of fire situations.
Photoelectric smoke alarms:
are very effective at detecting smoldering fires providing the earliest warning of a fire
reduce the incidence of false alarms which in turn decreases tampering
An interconnected system ensures all occupants of the home are alerted to a fire situation immediately as if one alarm is triggered by smoke all the alarms throughout the house will sound.
The Minister encourages all Queensland residents to update their homes smoke alarm systems as soon as possible.