Smoke Alarms

Photoelectric vs ionisation? Fire & Rescue NSW recommends the installation of photoelectric smoke alarms. Photoelectric alarms are more advanced and are widely regarded as being superior to ionisation alarms in most circumstances. They can respond faster than other alarms to most fire types and are less likely to cause annoying false alarms. Photoelectric alarms are particularly effective at detecting smouldering fires, which provides the earliest possible warning of a small developing fire. If a smoke alarm has a radioactive warning symbol on it, it’s an ionisation smoke alarm. How many do I need to buy? In addition to the minimum requirement of one smoke alarm per level, Fire & Rescue NSW recommends installing smoke alarms

In February 2016, Fire and Emergency Services Minister Bill Byrne introduced a bill to State Parliament that would require photoelectric smoke alarms to be installed in the bedrooms and connecting areas of all homes. The planned changes would be phased in over 10 years, with new or substantially renovated dwellings required to comply from 2017. The smoke alarms would also need to be hard-wired or powered by a 10-year lithium battery, and connected to other alarms in the house. Homeowners would be required to install a photoelectric smoke alarm any time they replaced an existing alarm. Mr Byrne said the move would make homes safer over the next decade and save lives. Read the full