AFACs Smoke Alarm Position Implementation

I m p l e m e n t a t i o n o f A FA C s
P o s i t i o n o n S moke A l a rm s
in Residential Accomodation
A u s t r a l a s i a n F i r e & E m e r g e n c y S e r v i c e A u t h o r i t i e s C o u n c i l ( A FA C )
Position on Smoke Alarms in Residential Accomodation | 01 June 2006

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Greg Mullins AFSM
Commissioner FRNSW
President AFAC

FRNSW does NOT support the

fitting and installation of ionisation
alarms. We ONLY recommend
photoelectric alarms.
Commissioner Mullins message to all Fire and
Rescue New South Wales (FRNSW) staff after 60
Minutes special investigation into ionisation
smoke alarms | 20 October 2014
Link to 60 Minutes special investigation below
Commissioner Mullins message on page 12

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www.SmokeAlarmWarning.org
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Published by The World Fire Safety Foundation | Oct 2014

AFAC-SAPI_V1.9.pdf Published Oct 2014 - Updated 16 Nov 2014 - Version 1.9 | Check for Updates: www.Scribd.com/doc/244277221
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AFACs Smoke Alarm Position Implementation

Date

Page

Contents

11/2014 Overview, Background & Research on AFACs Position on Smoke Alarms

06/2006 AFAC Position on Smoke Alarms in Residential Accomodation | 01June, 2006

3
4-8

05/2010 New Zealand Fire Service Photoelectric Advertising Campaign

08/2011 Queensland Fire & Emergency Service Photoelectric Smoke Alarm Information Sheet

10

11/2011

11

Northern Territory Laws on Smoke Alarms

10/2014 Commissioner Mullins, AFAC President, Smoke Alarm Message to FRNSW Staff

12

P h o t o e le c t ric Smo k e Ala rms

Save More Lives
Safer For You | Safer For Fire Fighters

Ionisation

Photoelectric

Failure to Activate

Significant

Insignificant

False Alarms and

Disconnections

Significant

Insignificant

Recommended
by Fire Fighters

No

Yes

Safer for
Fire Fighters TM

No

Yes

Disposal

Radioactive

Not Radioactive

Price

Affordable

Affordable

Most Homes

Commercial
Buildings

Located

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Graphic from World Fire Safety Foundation report on 60

Minutes, October 2014 The Alarming Truth investigation:

www. SmokeAlarmWarning .org/wfsf.html

AFAC-SAPI_V1.9.pdf Published Oct 2014 - Updated 16 Nov 2014 - Version 1.9 | Check for Updates: www.Scribd.com/doc/244277221
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AFACs Smoke Alarm Position Implementation

Implementation of AFACs Position on

S m oke A lar m s in R e s i d e n t i a l Ac c o m mo d a t i o n
Overview, Background & Research on Position Statement

The Australasian Fire & Emergency

Service Authorities Council (AFAC) is the
peak representative body for all Australian
and New Zealand Fire Brigades.

In June 2006 after extensive global

r e s e a r c h , A FA C p u b l i s h e d a
position statement on smoke alarms
in residential accommodation.

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www.AFAC.com.au

Extract: AFAC Position on Smoke Alarms | 01 June, 2006

That all residential accommodation be fitted with photoelectric smoke
alarms . . . Ionisation smoke alarms may not operate in time to alert
occupants early enough to escape from smouldering fires.
AFACs Position on Smoke Alarms in Residential Accomodation | 01 June, 2006, page 3, clause 3

see page 6

A FA C P o s i t i o n - B a c k g r o u n d & R e s e a r c h
Research undertaken by AFAC for
their 2006 position on smoke
alarms included the 1980 paper by
the International Fire Chiefs
Association, the Indiana Dunes Test,
NIST Technical Note 1455, the
Kemano Fire Studies, NFPA and
Homeland Security papers, several
works by Bukowski, Johnson and
Milke and many other publications.
Their literature review plus research

into the Australian statistics allowed

AFAC to develop a position on
Residential Smoke Alarms which is the
guideline for all fire services in
Australia. The papers written by Deputy
Chief Fleming especially his paper
titled, "Photoelectric and lonisation
detectors - a review of the literature
revisited" were considered an important
part of the research for the AFAC
Position on Domestic Smoke Alarms.

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Naomi Brown, former AFAC CEO in letter to Commissioner

Roderick Fraser, Boston Fire Department, MA, USA Feb, 2007

AFACs Official Position on

Smoke Alarms June, 2006

www.afac.com.au/docs/position/smoke-alarm.pdf

see pages 4-8

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xxxxxxxxxxxx Greg Mullins AFSM
Commissioner, FRNSW
xxxxxxxxxx xx President, AFAC

Fire & Rescue New South Wales is one of the

largest urban fire services in the world, with more
than 6,900 fire fighters serving 338 fire stations
throughout the state of New South Wales, Australia.

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Greg Mullins AFSM
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The photoelectric alarms; the tests..
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are showing they react faster,..
particularly in smouldering fires which are.. xxxxxxxxxxxx
the main type of fire you get in a home... xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx .xxxxxxxxxxx
So youll get your family out faster.
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WIN TV News | NSW, Australia | 18 June, 2012
Greg Mullins

AFSM

| WIN TV | June, 2012

AFAC-SAPI_V1.9.pdf Published Oct 2014 - Updated 16 Nov 2014 - Version 1.9 | Check for Updates: www.Scribd.com/doc/244277221
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AFACs Smoke Alarm Position Implementation

A FA C s P o s i t i o n o n S m o k e A l a r m s i n
R e s i d e n t i a l A c c o m m o d a t i o n | 0 1 J u n e , 2 0 0 6 | 1 of 5

Report extracted from AFAC website: www.afac.com.au/docs/position/smoke-alarm.pdf

AFAC-SAPI_V1.9.pdf Published Oct 2014 - Updated 16 Nov 2014 - Version 1.9 | Check for Updates: www.Scribd.com/doc/244277221
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AFACs Smoke Alarm Position Implementation

A FA C s P o s i t i o n o n S m o k e A l a r m s i n
R e s i d e n t i a l A c c o m m o d a t i o n | 0 1 J u n e , 2 0 0 6 | 2 of 5

Report extracted from AFAC website: www.afac.com.au/docs/position/smoke-alarm.pdf

AFAC-SAPI_V1.9.pdf Published Oct 2014 - Updated 16 Nov 2014 - Version 1.9 | Check for Updates: www.Scribd.com/doc/244277221
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AFACs Smoke Alarm Position Implementation

A FA C s P o s i t i o n o n S m o k e A l a r m s i n
R e s i d e n t i a l A c c o m m o d a t i o n | 0 1 J u n e , 2 0 0 6 | 3 of 5

Report extracted from AFAC website: www.afac.com.au/docs/position/smoke-alarm.pdf

AFAC-SAPI_V1.9.pdf Published Oct 2014 - Updated 16 Nov 2014 - Version 1.9 | Check for Updates: www.Scribd.com/doc/244277221
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AFACs Smoke Alarm Position Implementation

A FA C s P o s i t i o n o n S m o k e A l a r m s i n
R e s i d e n t i a l A c c o m m o d a t i o n | 0 1 J u n e , 2 0 0 6 | 4 of 5

Report extracted from AFAC website: www.afac.com.au/docs/position/smoke-alarm.pdf

AFAC-SAPI_V1.9.pdf Published Oct 2014 - Updated 16 Nov 2014 - Version 1.9 | Check for Updates: www.Scribd.com/doc/244277221
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AFACs Smoke Alarm Position Implementation

A FA C s P o s i t i o n o n S m o k e A l a r m s i n
R e s i d e n t i a l A c c o m m o d a t i o n | 0 1 J u n e , 2 0 0 6 | 5 of 5

Report extracted from AFAC website: www.afac.com.au/docs/position/smoke-alarm.pdf

AFAC-SAPI_V1.9.pdf Published Oct 2014 - Updated 16 Nov 2014 - Version 1.9 | Check for Updates: www.Scribd.com/doc/244277221
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AFACs Smoke Alarm Position Implementation

Implementation of AFACs Position on

S m oke A lar m s in Re s i d e n t i a l Ac c o m mo d a t i o n
New Zealand Fire Service Photoelectric Smoke Alarm Advertising Campaign

Fast asleep in your bed, youll never notice the deadly, poisonous smoke
filling your bedroom, ensuite and lungs. Youll simply die without waking.
Unless you have working photoelectric smoke alarms.

When youre asleep youll never notice the deadly poisonous

smoke that silently suffocates you.
Unless you have a working photoelectric smoke alarm.

AFAC-SAPI_V1.9.pdf Published Oct 2014 - Updated 16 Nov 2014 - Version 1.9 | Check for Updates: www.Scribd.com/doc/244277221
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AFACs Smoke Alarm Position Implementation

Implementation of AFACs Position on

S m oke A lar m s in Re s i d e n t i a l Ac c o m mo d a t i o n
QFRS Photoelectric Smoke Alarm Information Sheet | August, 2011

More: www.TheWFSF.org/qfrspromo

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AFACs Smoke Alarm Position Implementation

Implementation of AFACs Position on

S m oke A lar m s in Re s i d e n t i a l Ac c o m mo d a t i o n
N o r t h e r n Te r r i t o r y L a w s o n S m o k e A l a r m s | N o v e m b e r, 2 0 11

More: www.TheWFSF.org/legislation_au_nt
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AFACs Smoke Alarm Position Implementation

Implementation of AFACs Position on

S m oke A lar m s in R e s i d e n t i a l Ac c o m mo d a t i o n
Message to A ll FRNS W S t a ff | 2 0 O c t o b e r, 2 0 1 4

From: Commissioner
Sent: Monday, 20 October 2014 10:16 AM
To: - ALL STAFF
Subject: IMPORTANT INFORMATION - smoke alarms
Importance: High
Last night many of you will have seen an item on 60 Minutes that highlighted the differences between
photoelectric and ionisation smoke alarms. Mr David Isaacs, whom I have met with and
corresponded with for several years on the matter, and who has been involved in the fire safety
industry for over 40 years, spoke on the program. David is an expert in this area and was on the
Standards Australia committee for smoke alarms.
The FRNSW position is that we strongly support photoelectric smoke alarms and do not recommend
the fitting of ionisation alarms in any context. Tests, including the tests for adherence to the Australian
Standard, show a clear difference between the alarms, with photoelectric alarms generally activating
more quickly in most scenarios, than ionisation alarms.
In 2006, the then NSW Fire Brigades initiated a national change in fire services policy advocating
photoelectric alarms. Working via the Australasian Fire & Emergency Service Authorities Council
(AFAC), we will push for a change to the Building Code of Australia to mandate that all domestic
smoke alarms must be photoelectric, as is the case in all industrial, commercial, healthcare and other
occupancies.
All staff need to be aware, if approached about the matter, that FRNSW does NOT support the fitting
and installation of ionisation alarms. We ONLY recommend photoelectric alarms. Attached for your
information is a copy of the AFAC Policy on the issue.

Greg Mullins AFSM

Commissioner

E greg.mullins@fire.nsw.gov.au | T (02) 9265 2930 | F (02) 9265 2988 | www.fire.nsw.gov.au

Level 10, 227 Elizabeth Street, Sydney. NSW. 2000 | PO Box A249, Sydney South. NSW. 1232
Twitter.com/FireRescueNSW | Facebook.com/FRNSW | YouTube.com/FireAndRescueNSW
The World Fire Safety Foundation thanks Commissioner Mullins for permission to distribute this message
60 Minutes Special Investigation of 19 October, 2014 referred to by Commissioner Mullins: www.SmokeAlarmWarning.org
AFAC report referred to by Commissioner Mullins: www.afac.com.au/docs/position/smoke-alarm.pdf and on pages 4 - 8

AFAC-SAPI_V1.9.pdf Published Oct 2014 - Updated 16 Nov 2014 - Version 1.9 | Check for Updates: www.Scribd.com/doc/244277221
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