When you go to sleep, your sense of smell also goes to sleep. Therefore, a smoke alarm is your only method of early warning should a fire occur in your home.
According to the Melbourne Fire Services, you are four times more likely to die as a result of a house fire if you don’t have a working smoke alarm. A small fire can grow to involve the whole room in as little as three minutes. A smoke alarm provides early warning giving you time to escape.
All fire services in Australia recommend photo-electric smoke alarms and in Western Australia, it is compulsory to have them in every home.
Locating and maintaining smoke alarms:
- Must be located between each bedroom area and the rest of the house
- Inside bedroom if the person sleeps with door closed
- On each floor in two storey homes
- Test smoke alarms every month to ensure correct operation. You can do this by pressing the test button provided on the alarm
- Vacuum around your smoke alarm vents every year to keep alarm clean
- If your alarm has a 9V battery, replace it every year
- Remember, all smoke alarms need to be replaced every ten years
- When replacing an existing 9V battery smoke alarm, consider replacing it with a photo-electric smoke alarm with an inbuilt 10 year lithium battery to elimintate the need to replace batteries every year.
If you have any questions regarding home fire safety or smoke alarms, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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