Do you have working smoke detectors in your house?

[journeyman Mick]

Well I had today all planned, rearranging the shed to fit in my new edgebander. I'd just finished breakfast when the phone rang and I got a call out to a house fire. I raced across the road to our fire shed, dragging on my uniform as I went. When wwe arrived the house was well ablaze with 3m high flames billowing out of the windows. Poured water on and then ferried water to the urban trucks when they arrived (nearest hydrant a few kays away). The house was gutted (block walls still up and possibly salvageable) and I'd say all belongings lost. Fortunately though they had working smoke alarms which alerted the family and they all got out unharmed. The fire was started by kids playing with a lighter, the curtains caught fire and within minutes the house was well ablaze. With the fire spreading so quickly the occupants may have been overcome with toxic gases if the alarm hadn't alerted them.


If a fire broke out in your house would you get out in time?



So I did my bit for the community today but got bugger all done in the shed

Mick

[Jack E]

I hope you were wearing your Bellingham F.D. T-shirt.

[ryanarcher]

Yes

Did anyone make an interior attack when they got there, or was it all defensive? did you save the box of puppies? any pictures? Good work brother. the community is indebted to you for volunteering your time.

-Ryan

[silentC]

Yes, good on ya Mick. I've been thinking about joining either the Volunteer Fire Brigade or SES but too much going on at present. Maybe next year when the house is built.

Regarding smoke alarms, we don't have any at present but since we are renting the house now, thinking of approaching the new owners about it. By law they are required to install then in rental properties.

Naturally the new house will have hard-wired alarms throughout.

[jshaw]

Good on ya Mick, I've thought about getting involved in the SES but having grown up in urban Scotland (so few or no Aussie smarts) I have a sneaking suspicion that I'd just get myself in trouble and put others at risk

On the smoke detector front, one working and one disabled due to the amount of toast we burn. Previous owner fitted it in the kitchen just above the stove... When we were still renting I replaced a few myself that were not working on the grounds that the owner didn't seem too keen to fix up anything else and hey, my family is more important than a few dollars spent.

Thanks for the reminder though.

[AlexS]

A timely reminder Mick, and thanks for your community spirit.

We've had them for years, fortunately never had to use them in anger.
We had a house rented out at one stage, built of cypress, 5k from town, so had alarms in it of course. Never had any false alarms when we were there, but inevitably the tenants would disable them - don't know whether it was because they were heavy smokers or they wanted the batteries for the kids' toys. :mad:

[knucklehead]

Well done Mick. I hope you had time to stop and put your undies on the outside of your trousers as all good super heros do.

Smoke detctors cost bugger all, I've got 4 in a 2 bedroom house.
Re the toast setting the off, you can get ones that are specific to kitchens.

On the list of things to do is some hardwired detectors, the ones that have a halogen light. They can be connected toghter so that when one alarms they all alarm (with a light). These are pretty dear but I can do the whole house for about the cost of my ROS.

[Chesand]

Recently saw a video which showed an average lounge room completely engulfed in flames in 3 minutes after a fire was started in the couch - pretty scary.
One of our detectors goes off sometimes when grilling meat and we treat it as a test - reminds us why it is there

[Bowdo]

In NSW where's there's been a tragic series of house fires of late, I heard the NSW Fire Commissioner recommend that there should be one (preferably hard wired) in every room as it can take precious seconds for smoke to reach and activate one several rooms away.

[HappyHammer]

Thanks for the reminder Mick, I have one upstairs but not downstairs where it's probably more important to have one, that'll be on my list for this weekend.

HH.

[bitingmidge]

Well done Mick!

Yes. Two. Hardwired with battery backup.

One is in the hall outside the bedrooms, one in the workshop at the other end of the house, both interconnected so if one goes off, so does the other, and all the lights in the house turn on as well.

Occasionally the workshop one is a pain, like when the middle connection of the DC blew off and choofed dust everywhere, or when I'm using the heat gun to melt paint, or the other night when a gecko shat in it.

A word of caution though: there is a substantial conspiracy theory thing happening about ionization type detectors, which apparently don't pick up some of the by-products of combustion.

Be aware that a slow smouldering fire, may not give off enough stuff to set off the alarm until the heat has built up to that "WOOF" stage, by which time it's easy to get badly hurt or worse.

http://www.firecrusade.com/ was one of the sites for info, but is currently being re-configured. It makes intriguing and sobering reading.

I am of the view that detectors that only work in some types of fire are better than no detectors.

Cheers,

P

[kiwigeo]

Smoke dectectors installed and working in the new workshop and have just installed a couple of dry powder extinigushers by exits. Also did a review of chemical storage.....found bottle of turps on shelf right underneath the bench grinder.

[kiwigeo]

Recently saw a video which showed an average lounge room completely engulfed in flames in 3 minutes after a fire was started in the couch - pretty scary.
One of our detectors goes off sometimes when grilling meat and we treat it as a test - reminds us why it is there

Sounds like the same video I watched as part of my 3 yearly helicopter evacuation/fire fighting refresher over in Perth recently. Amazing how short a time it takes to completely incinerate the room (4 minutes I think it was).

[MICKYG]

On ya Mick, Nice to see all were out ok. We have them in our house as well and looking at upgrading. You could not light a ciggy in this house with out a warning being beeped out.

We have a plan for all members to get out if this should ever occur and access to the outside is good all around no matter where a fire should start. Nice work Mick, having been a volunteer at quite a few things over a considerable number of years(now taking it easy) I am well aware of the efforts on yours and your mates part, keep it up, for without you and lots of volunteer mates in all sorts of services we would as most would agree all be basically stuffed.

Kind regards Mike

[DavidG]

Yes and a DCP just outside the kitchen, near the exit and an evacuation plan which is discussed regularly. (so every one remembers)

ps If not hard wired, give each detector a Xmas present of a new alkaline battery.