Ten years ago the NSW Government introduced new smoke alarm legislation to give the community greater warning for house fires. The legislation, introduced on 1st May 2006, specified that all residential buildings must have at least one working smoke alarm per floor.
With 2016 marking the 10th anniversary of the NSW smoke alarm legislation, this year New South Wales residents are being asked not to change their smoke alarm batteries but to replace their entire alarm.
As smoke alarms can be affected by dust, insects, humidity and age, manufacturers advise replacing them every 10 years to ensure they remain in working order. And after ten years of sitting on walls across the state, millions of smoke alarms across Australia are now reaching their ‘best before date.’
This year, rather than the annual change your smoke alarm battery messaging, Fire and Rescue NSW wish to educate the community about the 10 year life span of smoke alarms and ask everyone to replace their older smoke alarms with new photoelectric smoke alarms which are the only type recommended by Australian fire services. Don’t risk keeping an old and potentially faulty alarm, change it and keep your family and your house safe from fires.