Smoke Alarm Legislation Changes for 2022
Legislation for residential properties in Queensland is set to change from 2022 with an aim to make the state’s households the safest in Australia in relation to fire safety. As qualified electricians with over 20 years’ experience, our team at North Lakes & Surrounds Electrical can provide quality smoke alarm installations that meet the new standards set out by the Queensland Government. For more information on the legislation, you can visit the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES) website, or you can book your upgrade with us today by calling (07) 3053 3118.
What is the new legislation?
As with most legislations, the details can get a little complicated. As part of a 10-year phased rollout plan from the government, there is essentially the stages to the new legislation:
- From 1 January 2017: all new dwellings and substantially renovated dwellings must contain the new interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms.
- From 1 January 2022: to be eligible to lease or sell your home, you’ll need to have the new smoke alarms installed.
- From 1 January 2027: all domestic dwellings should have interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms.
However, the details go a little further, specifying where they need to be installed within your home:
- In each bedroom
- In hallways which connect bedrooms and the rest of the dwelling
- If there is no hallway, between the bedrooms and other parts of the storey
- If there are no bedrooms on a storey at least one smoke alarm must be installed in the most likely path of travel to exit the dwelling
In addition to these rules, smoke alarms must also:
- Be hardwired or powered by a non-removable 10-year battery.
- Be photoelectric (complying with Australian Standard (AS) 3786-2014)
- Not also contain an ionisation sensor
- Be less than 10 years old
- Operate when tested
- Be interconnected with every other smoke alarm in the dwelling so all activate at the same time
Smoke Alarm Installation and Upgrades
If you’re a property manager or homeowner, it’s up to you to ensure your home meets the new fire safety and smoke alarm standards. To help you be compliant with the new legislation, our team is available to install and maintain the new hardwired and interconnected smoke alarms for all size homes. By choosing our team at North Lakes & Surrounds Electrical, you can rest assured that the smoke alarms installed are certified to the Australian Standard 3786-2014 and are CSIRO approved. We will also test the smoke alarms and provide a certificate of compliance. Further to this, we have a thorough understanding of the prescribed locations for installing these new smoke alarms that are more detailed than the legislation above and includes not placing them within 300mm of a corner of a ceiling and a wall, within 300mm of a light fitting, within 400mm of an air-conditioning vent or within 400mm of the blades of a ceiling fan. There are also special requirements for stairways, sloping ceilings, and ceilings with exposed beams that are mapped out in the Building Fire Safety Regulation 2008. Any non-compliance could lead to penalties so please ensure you contact a qualified electrician and do NOT attempt to do this yourself.
Please call our team at North Lakes & Surrounds Electrical for smoke alarm installations, upgrades, and maintenance on (07) 3053 3118.
