According to Fire NSW, home fires in the cooler months are often far more serious and are more likely to result in injuries and deaths [1]. These fires may be caused by households using heaters, clothes dryers and other appliances that are relied on more heavily in the colder months. To better prepare the home for the season ahead, now is a good time to think about what fire protection you have in place and check that all smoke detection devices in your home are fully functional.
The merits of working smoke alarms are widely acknowledged with The Country Fire Association reporting that occupants in homes without smoke alarms in good working order are four times more likely to die in a residential fire, 26 percent more likely to suffer serious injury in the event of a fire, and 57 percent more likely to suffer property loss and damage [2]. Batteries should also be replaced at least once a year with long-lasting alkaline batteries, and cleaned to ensure the units are free from dust, cobwebs and other dirt build-up which can affect the device’s ability to function properly. The brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner can be a useful tool to help remove dust that is hard to reach. It is also important that battery operated smoke detectors are replaced every 10 years, so it is a smart idea to record when the smoke alarms were installed by marking the date on the device with a permanent marker.
For those who may be worried about the up keep of their smoke alarms, integrating smoke detectors with a home security system can be a smart solution. Integrated smoke detectors are available for most ADT customers and they not only help to alert you about a house fire while you’re at home or asleep, you’ll also receive a notification if the smoke detector is triggered while you are away from the home. If there is no response, a nominated contact will be notified as well as emergency services if required. Importantly, the fire and smoke detection works even when your alarm system is not armed – for example, when you are in another part of the home but not at the source of the fire. You also won’t need to worry about remembering to change your smoke alarm batteries as ADT Security will send you a notification and provides a visible reminder on your home security alarm panel.
Whether your home features monitored smoke detectors or unmonitored smoke detectors, it’s important to understand the different types of smoke detectors to ensure you are using the right solution to protect your home. Generally speaking, there are two types of smoke detection technology. Ionisation detectors that can identify the presence of smoke but are not always effective at detecting slow-smoldering fires, which are the fires that often lead to death and injury in household fires. The other type is photoelectric detectors which can sense visible particles of combustion, and react to smoldering fires. Photoelectric technology also means it is less likely to produce a false alarm.
While smoke alarms are readily available from hardware stores, standard smoke alarms will not alert you to a potential emergency if you’re away from home which is why people with an ADT home security system are encouraged to install ADT monitored, photoelectric smoke detectors.
ADT Security recognises that every second counts in the event of a fire which is why we offer smoke detectors as an option across all of our monitored home security packages. This means that our customers can enjoy added peace of mind, knowing that the home and family are protected from fire as well as unwanted intruders.
For further information and advice contact ADT Security on 131 ADT.
[1]http://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/m/news.php?id=2322
[2] http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/fires-in-the-home/
*Smoke detectors provided by ADT are supplementary to your BCA requirements
