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LOCATING ALARMS
SMOKE ALARMS
Sufficient smoke must enter the Smoke Alarm before it will
respond. The Smoke Alarm needs to be within 7.5 metres
(25 ft) of the fire to respond quickly. It also needs to be in a
position where its alarm can be heard throughout your
home, so it can wake the occupants in time for all to
escape. A single Smoke Alarm will give some protection if it
is properly installed, but most homes will require two or
more to ensure that a reliable early warning is given. For
maximum protection you should put individual Smoke
Alarms in all the rooms where fire is most likely to break out,
(apart from kitchens, bathrooms etc. see Locations to
Avoid).
A Smoke Alarm should be located between the sleeping
area and the most likely sources of fire (living room or
kitchen for example). It should not be more than 7.5 metres
(25 ft) from the door to any room where a fire might start on
the escape route from the house.
Important: These Smoke/Heat Alarms are designed for a
single occupancy in a residential type environment.
A Smoke Alarm should be sited within 3m of bedroom doors
for improved audibility.
HEAT ALARMS
The Heat Alarm gives a fire warning when the temperature
at the unit reaches 58°C. It is ideal for kitchens, garages,
boiler houses and other areas where there are normally
high levels of fumes, smoke or dust i.e. places where
Smoke Alarms cannot be installed without the risk of
excessive nuisance alarms.
A Heat Alarm should only be used in a room adjoining an
escape route, in conjunction with Smoke Alarms on the
escape routes.
All the Heat Alarms and Smoke Alarms should be
interconnected to ensure the early warning will be heard,
particularly by somebody sleeping. A properly designed
early warning fire system ensures the alarm is given before
the escape routes become blocked with smoke. Therefore,
there must be Smoke Alarms along the escape routes as
Heat Alarms would not give sufficient warning. However, a
fire in a closed room (e.g. kitchen) adjoining the escape
route, can eventually cause the corridor to become
smoke-logged due to smoke leaking out from around the
door before adequate warning can be given by detectors in
the corridor. (Smoke leaking out from a room is often cool
and slow moving so it can take a long time to rise to the
ceiling, and travel to a detector which could be some
distance away). A Heat Alarm in the closed room will give
early warning of fire in that room and help overcome this
problem.
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