The Coroners recommendations as handed down this morning. Full report is attached below. Legislation should be put in place as soon as possible the effect of which is such that all places where people sleep should be provided with early warning of a fire occurring at a sound level capable of waking them. That I a minimum of 75 Decibels at the bed head. To enable this to be achieved the legislation should provide: - That a minimum in all areas of a building where people sleep, APPROVED SMOKE ALARMS (Photoelectric) are installed: (a) in any storey containing bedrooms i. between each part of the dwelling containing bedrooms and the remainder of the dwelling and in every bedroom; and ii. where bedrooms are served by a hallway, in that hallway, and (b) in any other storey not containing bedrooms, and (c) in the case where there is more than one alarm required they shall be interconnected by hardwiring where possible and by wireless signal where hard wiring is impractical. The above implementation should take a staged approach to allow homeowners to prepare for the changes. After the commencement of the legislation, homeowners are required to ensure the new legislative requirements are met in the following circumstances, - If a dwelling does not have smoke alarms, or does not smoke alarms that comply with the current legislation, the new legislative requirements must be met immediately (or alternatively, within a stipulated period of grace of, say, 6 to 12 months); -When smoke alarms cease to operate when tested or are past there useful life (10 years) - If the owner enters into a contract to sell, the day before settlement - With rental properties, before any new lease within 12 months of commencement of legislation An APPROVED SMOKE ALARM FOR THESE PURPOSES MEANS A PHOTOELECTRIC (a) If installed in a newly constructed domestic dwelling, is a 240 volt hard wired smoke alarm, or (b) If installed in an existing domestic dwelling in addition to, or replacing existing smoke alarms, a 240 volt hard wired where access is available in the ceiling space or, otherwise a 10 year lithium battery smoke alarms which are interconnected wirelessly, to all other smoke alarms, in the dwelling. It is also important to say that smoke alarms are only part of the process to ensure people escape to a point f safety from their burning home. A practiced Escape Plan is the other critical component of safe evacuation. It is also recommended that the importance of smoke alarms and other safety requirements such as escape plans be well publicised by Queensland Fire and Emergency Services - QFES and the Queensland Government. It is hoped with the Full implementation of these recommendations a tragedy such as this will never again occur. courts.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/332248/Slacks-Creek-House-fire-findings.pdf
Posted on: Fri, 28 Nov 2014 03:24:22 +0000
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