NSW passes law for smoke alarms in mobile homes

As holiday makers plan to take advantage of the extra long Easter holidays, Exelgard, aleading distributor of fire protection products for the home, is reminding caravan andcampervan owners that they must have smoke alarms installed under new New SouthWales’ law.

As holiday makers plan to take advantage of the extra long Easter holidays, Exelgard, aleading distributor of fire protection products for the home, is reminding caravan andcampervan owners that they must have smoke alarms installed under new New SouthWales’ law.

Introduced in February of this year1, the legislation relates to existing and new moveabledwellings, including campervans, caravans, holiday or park vans, and annexes, wherepeople sleep. This is an expansion of legislation introduced in 2006 in which all NSWhomes are required to have smoke alarms.

The new law also extends to mobile homes travelling through NSW from other Statesand Territories.

“With the majority of domestic fatal fires occurring when people are asleep it makessense for smoke alarms to be compulsory in every dwelling, whether mobile orpermanent,” said Mathew Pearson, Key Account Manager, Exelgard.“The risks presented by small campervan kitchens, small appliances and gas cookersare often forgotten. The amended legislation will hopefully make holiday makers moreaware of the risk of fire and the importance of being protected,” he said.

“If a fire occurs, there may just be a few seconds to get out of a burning caravan orcampervan so the warning a smoke alarm gives can mean the difference between lifeand death. It may also be useful to have a fire extinguisher and fire blanket available.”Pearson also said that regularly checking smoke alarms must be a priority to ensurethey are in proper working order. “Smoke alarms can assist in providing the precioustime needed to act or escape - but to be effective they need to be in proper workingorder. Checking your alarm and making sure the batteries are working should be aregular task.”

Pearson recommends taking time to carefully choose a suitable smoke alarm which hasa Standards Australia Mark or is ActivFire listed. “While a smoke alarm may seem like ageneric product there are actually many types to choose from. For example, aphotoelectric alarm is particularly responsive to smouldering flames which are most likelyto occur when people are asleep.”

“Positioning the smoke alarm is also important so that it is in the right place to havemaximum impact if set off by a fire,” he said.

Exelgard is the sole distributor of Exelgard and Wormald smoke alarms, which areavailable from Woolworths, Big W, RSEA and Australia Post outlets.

Contact:

Phone: