Why you should update to the 2022 upgrades today!
Why it’s in your best interests to update to the 2022 upgrades today!!…
It has long been accepted that photoelectric smoke alarms are considered to give significantly earlier warning of a fire than ionisation smoke alarms. The scenario outlined below is an example of why having your rental property upgraded to the new 2022 Smoke Alarm Regulations, and regular smoke alarm compliance checks could be essential in saving your investment, and its occupants, from the devastating effects of structure fires…
Fire crews were called to a house fire in Mermaid Beach at approximately 2.30am. A tablet device that had been left charging on the bed beside the occupant had heated up to the point that it, and the bed covers, had started to smoulder. Over time, the smoke had begun to fill the room and created a thick blanket of smoke that was pushing down as her room filled with smoke from the ceiling, down. The heat from the charging appliance became so intense that the bed covers eventually caught fire with the occupant still asleep on the bed. The smoke had not reached the smoke alarm in the bedroom hallway due to the occupant having her bedroom door closed.
By the time the occupant woke up, the room was filled with smoke and the fire had caused significant damage to the bed. With no smoke detector & alarm in the bedroom, the occupant had no audible early warning that there was a fire developing right beside her. As the occupant evacuated the property, opening her bedroom door allowed the smoke to eventually reach the smoke alarm in the bedroom hallway and it was immediately activated. By the time the 000 call had been made and fire crews were able to make entry to fight the fire, the bedroom where the fire started had been completely engulfed in flame. There had been significant fire and smoke damage to the entire unit.
Under new Queensland laws introduced in 2017, all rental properties will be required to install smoke alarms in each bedroom, they will need to be photoelectric and will need to be interconnected to every other smoke alarm in the property so that if one smoke alarm is activated, they will all activate. A system as just described would have provided early warning for the occupant in the scenario outlined above and would surely have prevented the injury sustained to the occupant as a result of the fire.
For more information regarding smoke alarm laws in Queensland, and having a regular smoke alarm compliance check at your rental property, we encourage you to get in touch with Pacific Smoke Alarms on 1300355483 or send us an email to [email protected]