Smoke Alarms
Are smoke alarms required by law?
Yes
In Australia smoke alarms are a legal requirement for residential, commercial and industrial properties. As each state has different specifics, please check the requirements for your state.
How many smoke alarms do I need?
Residential minimum legal requirements: At the bare minimum in Victoria, you need at least one smoke alarm per storey. These need to be positioned to wake sleeping occupants before the smoke reaches them. If the layout of your house places bedrooms at different parts of the house you will need more smoke alarms.
Residential Recommendations: The CFA (Victorian Country Fire Authority) recommends that a smoke alarm is installed in every bedroom and living area.
Commercial/Industrial: This is a little more complicated. However, it is really the responsibility of the Building Certifier to let you know how many smoke alarms your building needs and where they should be positioned.
Essential safety measures apply to buildings other than houses (Class 1a) and outbuildings (Class 10). They are defined under the Building Regulations 2018, and regulations are dependent on when the building was built, extended or renovated. If the building was built prior to 1st July 1994 it must have smoke alarms. If the building was built after 1st July 1994, it must have smoke alarms and more, for example emergency lighting.
For further information check out the Victorian Building Authority website.
Which smoke alarms do I need? When do smoke alarms have to be hardwired?
- All buildings built after 1st August 1997 must have hard wired smoke alarms, with back up battery.
- Buildings built before that date can have a battery powered smoke alarm, preferably with a 10 year lithium battery.
- Photoelectric alarms are recommended.
Do I have to interconnect my smoke alarms?
By Victorian Law - no, but it is recommended. For your personal safety - yes. If you interconnect your smoke alarms they will talk to each other. This means that if a fire starts in the lounge while your family are in bed, the lounge alarm will set off the alarms near the bedrooms. This gives you more time to get out of the house, rather than waiting for the smoke to make its way down the hallway. The CFA estimates that people have less than 3 minutes to wake up and get out of the house once an alarm sounds. It is best to maximise this time as much as possible.
How many smoke alarms can you interconnect?
You can interconnect up to 12 smoke alarms in the same loop.
Do I need an electrician to replace my hardwired smoke alarm?
Yes
Do I need an electrician to install hardwired smoke alarms?
Yes
Do I need an electrician to interconnect my smoke alarms?
Yes
Do I need an electrician to install battery operated only smoke alarms?
No
When do I need to replace my smoke alarms?
Smoke alarms need to be replaced every 10 years.
Where do I need to place my smoke alarms?
Smoke alarms should be placed on or near the ceiling. They should be as close to the centre of the room as possible and away from windows and draughts which can cause interference.
Call DJD Electrics on 03 8819 1596 for all your smoke alarm needs.