14
WARNING:
Please read carefully and thoroughly.
•
Australian Standard AS 1670.6 states the purpose of installing smoke alarms
is to provide early warning of a potentially life threatening condition and
provide the maximum possible exit time.
•
Smoke alarms have sensing limitations. Ionisation sensing alarms may
detect invisible fire particles (associated with fast flaming fires) sooner than
photoelectric alarms. Photoelectric sensing alarms may detect visible fire
particles (associated with slow smouldering fires) sooner than ionisation
alarms. Home fires develop in different ways and are often unpredictable.
For maximum protection, both ionisation and photoelectric alarms should
be installed.
•
A battery powered alarm must have a battery of the specified type, in good
condition and installed properly.
•
AC powered alarms (without battery backup) will not operate if the AC power
has been cut off, such as by an electrical fire or an open fuse.
•
Smoke alarms must be tested regularly to make sure the batteries and the
alarm circuits are in good operating condition.
•
Smoke alarms cannot provide an alarm if smoke does not reach the alarm.
Therefore, smoke alarms may not sense fires starting in chimneys, walls, on
roofs, on the other side of a closed door or on a different floor.
•
If the alarm is located outside the bedroom or on a different floor, it may not
wake up a sound sleeper.
•
The use of alcohol or drugs may also impair one’s ability to hear the smoke
alarm. For maximum protection, a smoke alarm should be installed in each
sleeping area on every level of a home.
•
Although smoke alarms can help save lives by providing an early warning
of a fire, they are not a substitute for an insurance policy. Home owners,
landlords and tenants should have adequate insurance to protect their lives
and property.
Fire Safety
