There is a house fire in the state of QLD every 4.63 hours. We can limit that by educating people to be more aware of their surroundings within the home. Fires can cause serious injury or death, it is especially important to understand that children are most likely at risk when it comes to a potential fire hazard. There are many things that you can do within your home to reduce the chance of a fire, some are listed below:
Every home should have fire safety equipment that can be used to limit the destruction of a fire, if one is to ignite within your home. Some examples of fire safety equipment within your home are:
Fire Awareness
How do I know what type of smoke alarm I have?
What can I do to reduce the likelihood of a fire in my home?
The most simple check you could do is to open up your alarm and check whether or not it has a radiation symbol inside. If your smoke alarm DOES have a radiation symbol - you have an ionisation alarm and it should be replaced. Photoelectric alarms look like other alarms, but they do not have a radiation symbol inside of them.
Another way to know whether or not you have an ionisation alarm is whether it false alarms when you are cooking. If your alarm false alerts when you are cooking, unfortunately, you have an ionisation. An ionisation smoke alarm is a heat detecter - the heat from your cooking will set off this alarm but it will not detect a smoulder.
The chart below may give you a better understanding:
It is important to understand that there are two stages to a fire - not two types! A photoelectric smoke alarm is more likely to alert occupants in time to escape safely from the start of a smoulder to when the flame erupts. We are trying to mandate photoelectric smoke alarms as they give an earlier warning of smouldering fires, than other kinds of alarms. Research by the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities Council indicates that photoelectric smoke alarms provide the best detection across a broader range of fires and are more likely to alert occupants in time to escape safely. For more information about photoelectric alarms, visit our Smoke Alarms page.
What kind of smoke alarm should I have?