{"id":853,"date":"2018-03-21T22:00:07","date_gmt":"2018-03-21T22:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theonsitemanager.com.au\/news\/?p=853"},"modified":"2018-03-21T22:15:09","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T22:15:09","slug":"important-smoke-alarm-information-for-property-managers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theonsitemanager.com.au\/news\/important-smoke-alarm-information-for-property-managers\/","title":{"rendered":"Important Smoke Alarm Information For Property Managers"},"content":{"rendered":"

New smoke alarm legislation<\/a> in Queensland came into play from 1 January 2017 and is expected to drastically cut the number of deaths from house fires. The new legislation requires every domestic home, including rental properties, to have smoke alarms that are photoelectric, interconnected, and either hard-wired or powered by a 10-year lithium battery.<\/p>\n

For property managers this means additional obligations with regards to the installation and maintenance of smoke alarms. Smoke alarms are currently required by law in all rental properties but the type of alarm installed is no longer something that can be left to the owner\u2019s discretion. Failure to install the correct type of alarm and not checking it works properly has legal consequences if a fire occurs and causes injury or death.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s all the information you need know about smoke alarms as a property manager.<\/p>\n

Photoelectric smoke alarms vs ionisation smoke alarms<\/strong><\/p>\n

If your client doesn\u2019t know what type of smoke alarms are installed in their property, then they\u2019ll need to get them all changed to photoelectric smoke alarms. If they are currently using ionisation smoke alarms then these should be supplemented with photoelectric alarms.<\/p>\n

Photoelectric alarms use a light and sensor to detect smoke, while ionisation alarms monitor the electrical balance of the air.<\/p>\n

Why are photoelectric smoke alarms the industry standard and not ionisation?<\/p>\n

Tests on photoelectric smoke alarms have shown that photoelectric alarms respond to the full spectrum of fires and are particularly sensitive to smouldering fires and dense smoke from foam furnishings and electrical wiring. More people die from smoke inhalation than actual flames, and ionisation alarms are a lot slower to respond to smoke, on average 15 to 20 minutes slower. Up to 20 – 20% of the time they don\u2019t activate at all which is a worrying statistic.<\/p>\n

Ionisation alarms can also be annoying because they\u2019re more likely to go off from cooking odours, burnt toast or even steam from the shower. If it happens too often people get fed up and disable them, leaving the inhabitants of the property completely unprotected if there\u2019s a fire.<\/p>\n

When do smoke alarms in rental properties need to be switched?<\/strong><\/p>\n

From January 2022, you must also ensure that smoke alarms are photoelectric. Any photoelectric smoke alarms that are over 10 years old or near the end of their service life need to be replaced entirely.<\/p>\n

You also need to make sure that enough smoke alarms are installed, they are hardwired or powered by a 10-year lithium battery, interconnected and in the correct position. There should be:<\/p>\n