Smoke alarms are a simple and effective way to detect smoke and provide a warning when there is a fire. Smoke alarms can also potentially save lives and help reduce property damage in the event of a fire.
Contact us to speak to Council officers regarding the installation of smoke alarms or other fire safety upgrading works. You can also contact the NSW Fire Brigades. Council approval is not required to install a smoke alarm in accordance with the regulations.
The Environmental Planning & Assessment Amendment (Smoke Alarms) Regulation 2006 requires smoke alarms to be installed in all residential buildings. It is an offence not to have smoke alarm/s installed in any residential building in accordance with the regulation and a fine may be issued for the offence. It is also an offence to interfere with or remove a smoke alarm, unless the smoke alarm is being maintained, repaired or replaced.
If you are the owner of a dwelling or residential unit, it is your responsibility to install smoke alarms in accordance with the regulation. If you have already installed smoke alarms that comply with the regulation, or a smoke detection and alarm system which complies with a previous building related approval, or a Council fire safety order, no further action is required.
Requirements
Location of alarms
Installation
Maintenance
Requirements
The Building Code of Australia (BCA) contains the Requirements for smoke alarms and smoke detection and alarm systems whenever building work is undertaken. It applies to all new building work and alterations and additions to buildings. The Environmental Planning & Assessment Amendment (Smoke Alarms) Regulation 2006 relates to existing buildings only and does not override the Requirements of the BCA.
Under the regulation, smoke alarms must be installed in:
- all dwellings, houses, terrace houses, town houses and villas
- apartments, home units and flats
- flats within other buildings eg caretakers' flats and single residences above shops
- buildings used for 'shared-accommodation', including guest houses; bed and breakfast accommodation; boarding houses; backpacker establishments; hostels; residential parts of hotels; motels; health care buildings; hospitals and nursing homes.
Smoke alarms for residential dwellings (types 1-3 above) are required to comply with Australian Standard AS 3786-1993, Smoke Alarms.
The smoke alarms must be either 'hard-wired' (connected to the mains electricity power supply with a battery back-up), or be powered by a suitable battery.
Randwick City Council recommends that wherever possible, smoke alarms should be hard-wired and provided with a battery back-up. This provides a higher level of safety to the building occupants.
In 'shared accommodation' dwellings (type 4 above), as a minimum, the smoke alarms must comply with AS 3786-1993 Smoke Alarms, and must be 'hard-wired' (connected to the mains electricity supply with a battery back-up), or be powered by a 'non-removable' 10 year long-life battery that is permanently connected to the smoke alarm. However, if a building was required to provide smoke alarms to a higher standard in a previous approval or Council fire safety order, the smoke alarms must comply with the highest standard specified in the approval or fire safety order.
Location of alarms
- For complete details and diagrams that show where fire alarms should be installed, visit NSW Fire Brigades. This information is also summarised below.
The location of smoke alarms and the number required depends on the size and layout of the building.
Smoke alarms are required to be located so that they detect smoke before the smoke reaches the sleeping occupants. The sound emitted by the smoke alarm is designed to wake sleeping occupants to give them time to escape from the building.
In residential dwellings, villas, townhouses, apartments and units etc, smoke alarms must be installed in every storey.
Storeys containing bedrooms
In storeys containing bedrooms, smoke alarms are to be located on or near the ceiling
- in every corridor or hallway associated with a bedroom, or
- if there is no corridor or hallway, between the part of the building containing the bedroom and the remainder of the building, dwelling or unit.
Storeys which do not contain bedrooms
A smoke alarm must be installed in every storey which does not contain bedrooms. The alarm should be located in the most likely path of travel which the occupants will take to escape from the building. This ensures that the alarm sounds before the smoke prevents the occupants from escaping from the building. If the bedrooms are located on the first floor or upper floor, the smoke alarm should be located near the area of the interconnecting stair.
For additional safety, building owners may also install smoke detectors within each bedroom.
The regulation does not currently require smoke alarms to be installed within hallways, corridors and stairways in apartment or residential flat buildings. Smoke alarms are only required to be provided within each residential unit or apartment.
Randwick City Council encourages all property owners or proprietors of strata plans for apartment buildings to upgrade the levels of fire safety within their building. This includes the provision of (BCA compliant) hard-wired smoke detectors within all common areas, hallways, stairways and residential units.
Installation of smoke alarms
Battery-operated smoke alarms can usually be installed easily by homeowners or Maintenance contractors. Hard-wired smoke alarms must be installed by a licensed electrical or fire safety contractor.
Smoke alarms must be installed on or near the ceiling. If it is impractical or inappropriate to install the smoke alarm on the ceiling (eg due to a 'dead-air space' in the ceiling area), the smoke alarm may be installed on the wall, providing the manufacturer's details state that the smoke alarm is suitable for this location.
A 'dead-air space' is an area in which trapped air may prevent smoke from reaching a smoke alarm, such as the corner junction of ceilings and walls, at the top of cathedral style ceilings or between exposed joists or beams. Smoke alarms should not be installed in a 'dead-air space'.
Maintenance
It is essential that smoke alarms are properly maintained, cleaned and tested regularly.
Batteries should be replaced on a yearly basis. Choose a date that is easy to remember, such as New Year or the end of daylight saving.