RCD and Smoke alarm testing

Back to Base Smoke Alarms Monitored by a Security Company?

ASIAL (Australian Security Industry Association Ltd) says...

1. As a general guideline, ASIAL recommends that member companies never install smoke sensors connected to alarm panels for any of the following reasons:

Under a Development Application
Building Audit requirement
Building Code of Australia (BCA) requirement
Australian Standards requirement
Legislative requirement
Insurance requirement (Or relevant State/Territory-based equivalents of above)

2. A security alarm system should never be used as the primary monitoring method for an Australian Standards compliant fire alarm system, even if standards compliant fire monitoring is not required.

3. Smoke sensors connected to security alarm systems should only be supplementary and, as such, ASIAL recommends against connection of large numbers of sensors (e.g. more than 5, or numbers of smoke sensors greater than the number of security detection devices.)

4. ASIAL recommends against security alarm panels being used to control or trigger other functions as a result of the detection of smoke.

Disclaimers: ASIAL and its member companies advise the following disclaimer information:

• Smoke sensors connected to alarm panels do not meet BCA requirements or any other statutes in relation to smoke/fire detection.

• Security alarm monitoring centres are not approved fire monitoring centres and, whilst they will carry out instructions to the best of their ability, they cannot guarantee response to any specific alarm event.

• No claim is made that the use of smoke sensors linked to alarm panels will avoid serious injury or death resulting from fire.

• Because smoke sensors are not approved fire sensors, ASIAL supports the position adopted by many members of limiting smoke alarm response procedures to phoning the premises and/or listed emergency contact/s.

• If a customer requires their alarm monitoring centre to request fire brigade attendance upon receipt of a smoke alarm (and the monitoring centre agrees to do so), then any costs associated with the dispatch of fire appliances will be the responsibility of the customer.

• It is the customer’s responsibility to regularly test and maintain the alarm system (including all connected devices) in compliance with manufacturer’s recommendations.

Customers should be aware that fire brigades in many areas may charge for callouts to false smoke alarms.

 

@Redwing - although I have heard of smokies being connected to b2b monitored alarms, they aren't designed for this purpose and provide minimal benefit, so I would agree with ASIAL. This is generally applicable to single dwelling houses.

In the case of units, the alarm goes back to the alarm panel however a thermal detector is more likely to be of greatest benefit for being monitored and raising at alarm to the fire brigade. These work on heat evolved rather than smoke.

A smoke detector is an early warning system which should raise a localised alarm to all dwellings within the building by being interconnected. Someone burning the toast shouldn't alert the authorities but be restricted to all smokies in the building.

Note that the BCA prescribes the type of detector and alarms required. A specialist fire engineer should be consulted for compliance advice.

 

Received this recently from one our PM's (WA Property)

We were recently made aware of an item at your property that requires some maintenance, we've summarised the details below.

Annual RCD & Smoke Alarm Compliance due

Whilst updating your file we have noted the Annual RCD & Smoke Alarm Compliance Certificate is due. Last Certificate completed: 04/05/2018

To ensure you are protected against risk, do you approve for us to arrange for an Electrician to attend to carry out the RCD & Smoke Alarm Compliance Certificate?

We request your approval to attend this item if you could respond by return email.

WA RCD rules below

RCD rules

 

When you give up arguing with your property manager and agree to it. Make sure they check the dates on the smoke detectors as well.

 

Thinking of doing smoke alarm inspections as a side-hustle

Email from a friend on the issue

Our office strongly recommends that every rental property that we manage have the smoke alarms looked after by Smoke Alarms Australia.

Attached is a copy of a leaflet from Smoke Alarms Australia. The cost of the subscription is $129.00 per year.

You have either opted out of the subscription or have not let us know whether you want to be a part of the subscription.

We request that you please take this matter very seriously and either OPT IN with smoke alarm australia OR by having an electrician attend to the property yearly to undertake a electrical compliance inspection.

Please also find attached Alarm statistics supplied by Smoke Alarms Australia. This shows upon their first inspection how many properties were uncompliant.

Also attached is a document called “Miata Jibba.pdf”. This is a coronial inquest into the death of a tenants child who died in a rental property. It was found that the smoke alarms were not working, one had a missing battery.

I know this is an extra expense which at the moment all landlords are suffering but we feel this is a matter that cannot be ignored and regular checks needs to be done as the owners obligations in regards to smoke alarms are as follows:

1. The smoke alarms cannot be more than 10 years old.
2. The smoke alarm must be in working order at all times.
3. The smoke alarms must be connected to the mains power.
4. An owner can receive a $5000 fine for failing to comply.

Please advise via return email if you would like to OPT IN to the Smoke Alarm Australia subscription?

OR

Whether you would like us to arrange for an electrician to attend to undertake an electrical compliance inspection?

OR

Whether you warrant that the smoke alarms are compliant in and in good working order. If this is the case please sign the attached waiver and email back to our office.

If you are an electrician could please contact us to arrange a yearly inspection of the property to undertake an electrical compliance inspection.

 

Obviously like me this has been a bone of contention between PMs (seems predominantly in WA where my IP is btw) and landlords. I will agree testing smoke detectors is a little more complex but RCDs.. if you can turn on your tv you can test an RCD. When will PMs wake up and just test RCDs even if it is just 'ex gratia'.

 

The Housing Authority in WA puts this out for their tenants

Housing (WA) Authority Tenants RCD and Smoke Alarm Fact Sheet

The Housing Authority (operating within the Department of Communities) has installed a number of safety devices in your home.

A Residual Current Device (RCD) provides protection against electric shock. If the RCD detects an imbalance in the electrical current indicating a leakage to earth (for example, current flows through someone’s body to earth) the RCD immediately cuts the electricity supply to prevent electrocution.

You will have more than one RCD. They are located in the meter box and can be identified by the presence of a TEST button. You should test them every three months.

A smoke alarm alerts you to the presence of smoke and the potential of fire in the property. Your smoke alarm should be tested every month.

 

Absolutely fine for those in public housing who have no mobility issues, aren't frail, suffer vertigo, have the presence of mind to press the button monthly, aren't from non-English speaking backgrounds & understand the instructions. (If they pass all of those tests, what are they doing in public housing?)

 

It's not just the testing, testing is easy. It's knowing where the alarms have to be positioned, making sure the right alarms are installed, a range of other compliance areas within the legislation, which changes from time to time, and interpreting the legislation and applying it correctly, and then also importantly, the record keeping in a suitable manner such that it can be used as evidence in your defence should the need arise.

For as little as $79 a year for a piece of paper and the piece of mind knowing a professional organisation (which holds insurance in case they get it wrong) which is abreast of all the requirements has done this for you, I'm still honestly surprised there are Landlords who do not see the value in this small cost service and would rather do it themselves, or think the Agent wants to take on this liability when the Owner won't even pay for it themselves (it's not the Agent's property..)

I even use the service on my own home, for $79 a year I couldn't even be bothered getting a ladder out to tend to my own. It's like road side assist, for what like $80 a year who even changes their own flat tyre anymore? (and that's basically unlimited if you were unfortunate as to have it happen more than once)

 

You have completely missed the point .
The fact is tens of thousands of homes in Australia have these smoke detectors linked in with the monitored home alarm systems.
The last thing you need is some one with a big stick , with no idea what the are doing running around trying to set of an alarm that has no test function on the actual unit..
How many properties will a property manager look after 50 , 100 or even more.
Many of these may be aparments.
Some newer apartments may have interlinked alarm systems straight to the fire brigade,
others may be older with individual smoke alarms and not interlinked. ????.
A property manager is a property manager, he or she is not a electrician or a plumber or a fire safety specialist , part of the modern day world is they are not even allowed to climb up a ladder to press the test button , or even worse climb up on furniture or bedding to access the device.
The device may have even been placed in a dead zone or right outside a bathroom or right next to the kitchen, and either not work or continually give false alarms.

 

And for those that don't, you can contact the fire brigade who will inspect and test your alarms and replace the batteries free of charge. Or you could just let the public housing authority do their own annual checks and not worry too much about any additional testing that you might do (as the majority of people not in public housing would do).

Gee, you sound like one of those people who hassle people for parking in disabled spots just because you can't pick up on their disability after a quick glance, despite their GP having treated them for years and declaring them as eligible for a permit.
Some examples that I personally know...
- Single parent with kids who works part time but not enough to disqualify them from public housing.
- Aged pensioner who is not frail.
- Frail elderly person with one of their adult children as a full time carer.

Gee, you really know how to make "change the battery and press the test button" sound overly complicated, don't you!
As I've said before, any child after a few years of primary school would be able to follow those rules, they are that simple. And the QLD legislation which was described above as "over the top" was specifically written for an average landlord to be able to do the testing themselves (the test procedure is written into the legislation).

Really??? Compared to changing the battery and pressing the test button (and arranging a replacement unit every 10 years), I couldn't be bothered to arrange a service, ensure that someone was at home at the right time and then process the payment. I don't have time for all that when it takes less than a minute to just test it myself.

 

I consider this post to be irresponsible and dangerous. There is a massive difference between trying to convince people to pay for a smoke alarm service for their investment, compared to discouraging people from testing smoke alarms in their own residence.
Every fire brigade I have ever come across has encouraged people to test their own smoke alarms, at least one even provides the "stick" to do it with. Your post is in response to a government housing body encouraging their residents to test their alarms, yet you seem to imply that they shouldn't attempt this. What were you thinking when you wrote this post?

For reference, QLD legislation even says...

In other words, if it has a test button then you should push it. (there is a (b) for alarms without buttons, but they are for strata type situations where an individual landlord wouldn't come across, and I would get a contractor to test those).

Absolute total and complete garbage!!! If anyone ever tells you that they are not allowed to climb a ladder to test an alarm, then it is something that they (or their company) has made up!

 

So you own an entire block of flats and are able to visit each tenant without providing 24 hours notice of inspection? Or do you have a time machine?

If it's not in the PM's job description, they don't have a Safe Work Method, haven't been trained, don't have a ladder etc, it ain't going to happen.

 

This was in response to Michael Mitchell saying that he used them for his own home, I was not referring to my rental properties.
But to answer your question... I have scheduled inspections with appropriate notice given and while I am there is also takes only a minute to test the smoke alarms. Since I am already there, then yes, it is easier and quicker to test them than it would be to pay someone.

And none of this makes it so that "they are not allowed to climb a ladder to test an alarm".

 

Would you also say that it is the PM's job to call around to the IP to relight the pilot on the HWS if it goes out or to replace the battery in a piezo on the stove or auto gate controller, reset the circuit breakers if they trip, drop off a spare key if they had locked themselves out, clean the gutters. Hey, while we're at it, how about cutting the neighbour's grass. (That'd put @datto out of a job).

 

On call 24/7 for that one There's plenty of work out there.

 

Test the alarms, replace the alarms if faulty, service the alarms if playing up, maintain the alarms with new batteries, ensure the alarms are positioned correctly in the property, compliance report to appease the insurance & regulatory overlords....$79 per year, unlimited call outs

vs.

Cost of a smoke alarm from Bunnings ~$30,
Time to drive to Bunnings, find a park, buy a battery/alarm, drive home, get tools/ladder out, do the work, clean up if required ~1hr,
Read up on the legislation, interpret it and hope you've not missed anything and complied,
Concoct your own half-assed attempt at record keeping this event in a suitable format such that it could be used to defend an insurance claim or negligence suit/whatever

I see a small cost of doing business, you probably see 'nickel & dimes' as dabbler says.. Nobody is holding a gun to your head, if you don't want to use the service don't. [Not G.. but for others who keep creating these threads thinking they're being scammed] if you don't want to believe compliance and regulation exist, that's totally your choice, as above, just say thanks but no thanks - your PM can only lead you to water