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Smoke alarms

1 November deadline for installing smoke alarms

NSW building owners are reminded that from 1 November 2006, it will become an offence not to have smoke alarms in all homes and other shared accommodation buildings where people sleep.

Further details can be found below, or see the latest media release from NSW Fire Brigades.

New requirements from 1 May 2006

On 10 March 2006, the NSW Government gazetted new regulations requiring smoke alarms in homes and other places people sleep.

144 people have died in house fires in NSW in the past five years, 60% during sleeping hours. An estimated 670, 000 dwellings in NSW still do not have smoke alarms. Smoke alarms are an effective early-warning device to alert people to the presence of fire so they have more time to escape.

To help save lives, the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Smoke Alarms) Regulation 2006 will, from 1 May 2006, require owners to install smoke alarms. The regulation outlines what types of buildings will require alarms, the type of alarms required and where they are to be located. Owners will have 6 months to comply.

About the new smoke alarm requirements

• Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Smoke Alarms) Regulation 2006 (PDF file)
• Advisory note (PDF file)
• Fact sheet 1: owners of houses residential flats and units (PDF file)
• Fact sheet 2: shared accommodation buildings (PDF file)
• Planning Circular - Implementation of the EP&A Amendment (Smoke Alarms) Regulation 2006 (PDF file)

Further information

NSW Fire Brigades - provides information for the community, including the types of alarms available and their maintenance, and advice for landlords, tenants, the aged and people with hearing impairments. See www.fire.nsw.gov.au.

CSIRO's Activfire website - provides consumers and fire safety advisers with details of smoke alarms that have been verified as conforming with requirements of Australian Standard AS 3786-1993, the NSW Building Legislation Amendment (Smoke Alarms) Act 2005 and related regulations, along with a list of suppliers. See http://www.activfire.gov.au/smokeAlarms.asp.

NSW Department of Lands - for information regarding the vendor's obligations when selling property. See www.lands.nsw.gov.au.

NSW Office of Fair Trading - for information about changes to fair trading laws, which affect landlords and tenants, owners and residents of residential parks, strata scheme lot owners, and operators and residents of retirement villages. See www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/realestaterenting/tenantslandlords/smokealarms.html

Enquiries: Phone the Smoke Alarms Help Line on 1300 858 812 or email smoke.alarms@planning.nsw.gov.au.