A hot topic: choosing smoke, heat and CO alarms

When specifying for housing developments – be they public or private sector – there can be no greater concern than tenant safety. With this in mind, it’s crucial to be aware of the most effective smoke, heat and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms, and where to site them for the highest level of safety. Adrian Keats from Honeywell explains.

Despite numerous public campaigns on the dangers of lax fire and CO protection, there is still a shocking level of misinformation when it comes to best practice for specifying smoke, heat and CO alarms.

In response to this, the Government introduced new smoke and CO regulations for landlords in October last year, which tightened parameters on home safety in the rented property sector. This legislation requires that landlords install a smoke alarm on every floor of each property, and a CO alarm in any room which contains a solid fuel burning appliance.

The penalty for non-compliance is £5,000, and although no price can be put on the cost of lives put at risk by not having an alarm, it is hoped that this financial penalty is a great enough deterrent against failing to install the relevant products. However, while these regulations are a good start, they are far from the full picture. Notably, landlords are only required to install CO alarms in dwellings where a solid fuel burning appliance is present, and there is no requirement on where smoke or CO alarms should be sited. What’s more, there is no guidance on heat alarms, or the benefits of installing a connected alarm system.

Below is a short guide to the key points to consider when specifying an alarm system for housing developments.

Smoke alarms

According to legislation, landlords are required to install at least one smoke alarm per floor in each residence. It’s important to note that these cannot legally be replaced by heat alarms.

However, while one per floor is the minimum by law, this is not necessarily in keeping with best practice. According to The Fire Safety Advice Centre, there should be an alarm within 1.5 metres of the entrance to all habitable rooms and any cupboards that pose a fire risk – especially those within the path of an escape route.¹

What’s more, residents of differing abilities should also be taken into account when an alarm system is specified. For example, choosing units which have clear LED display alerts alongside an audible alarm to cater for the hearing impaired.

When it comes to siting smoke alarms, you should position the unit as centrally as possible, whether this is in an entrance hall or a room. The alarm should also be at least 30 centimetres (12 inches) away from any wall or light fitting.

CO alarms

To remain compliant with the law, landlords in England and Wales must ensure that a carbon monoxide alarm is fitted in every room featuring a solid fuel burning appliance.

But, in terms of ensuring tenant safety, this is the bare minimum. Many incidents of CO poisoning are the result of gas leaks from incorrectly fitted, inadequately maintained or faulty appliances like boilers and cookers, none of which are covered by the legislation.

For real protection, a CO alarm should be placed in every room which contains a fuel burning appliance, as well as an alarm in any bedrooms located above these.

While this level of caution may seem excessive, recent figures have shown that incidents of CO poisoning are on the rise, with a 10 per cent increase in suspected cases over the last two years. Furthermore, a 20 per cent rise has been identified amongst children as well as a 17 per cent rise amongst those aged 60 and over, which highlights the crucial nature of carbon monoxide safety.²

Once the amount of CO alarms necessary for a property has been determined, it’s crucial to consider their location. Detailed recommendations can be found in EN50292, a guide on selection, installation, use and maintenance for residential carbon monoxide alarms, but ideally, the alarm should be positioned high up in the room typically 30 centimetres from the ceiling, and a metre away from boilers, fires, cookers or heaters. It can be fixed to a wall or free-standing on a shelf, as long as the recommended positioning requirements are met.

Heat alarms

When selecting an alarm, it’s advisable to consider the type of hazard most likely to arise in each area of the home.

Generally, there are two types of fire – fast-flaming and slow-starting, smouldering fires. In a kitchen environment, fast-flaming is most common. In fact, 59 per cent of household fires are caused by cooking mishaps, many of which stem from unattended chip pans which burst into fast-flaming fires.³

Fast-flaming fires, unlike slow-starting, produce little smoke, but plenty of heat. This is where a heat alarm can be a better solution than a smoke alarm. In a kitchen, where these fires are common, a heat alarm may react quicker than a smoke alarm, saving valuable time in alerting and evacuating residents.

In terms of location, a heat alarm should be placed as close to the centre of the ceiling as possible. If this is not practical, mount no closer than 4 inches from a wall or corner. Avoid fitting heat alarms near air vents, decorative objects, or anything which could obstruct the alarm and prevent heat from entering the unit and triggering the alert.

Connected systems

Property owners are increasingly looking to connected alarm systems when specifying for developments as a more comprehensive safety solution.

This is because a connected heat, smoke and CO alarm network means that whichever alarm is triggered, every alarm will activate thus ensuring homeowners are alerted to danger no matter what area of the home they are in. This is especially relevant when it comes to blocks of flats and houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs) as it means that the entire community can be warned, no matter where a hazard develops.

Honeywell’s wireless system, for example, uses a flood type network; ensuring interconnected alarms send and receive information from each alarm in the network. Therefore the time taken for every alarm to sound is significantly reduced, allowing more time to evacuate a property in an emergency.

Wired connected systems are also available on the market, but we would always recommend wireless, as these are much easier, faster and cheaper to install than wired alarm systems. Wireless systems which incorporate high-quality, sealed units are just as reliable as wired variations, especially if the alarms can be locked to the wall for protection against damage or tampering, but also reduce installation time and costs.

In addition, wireless options keep disruption to a minimum and avoid the risk of potential damage to wires in a wired system.

Although domestic fire and CO safety has improved, especially since the 2015 regulations, there is still a long road ahead.  Compliance doesn’t equal safety, and the importance of proper siting is still not universally understood.  Whilst going above and beyond legal requirements might feel unnecessary, the long term benefits of going the extra mile in fire and CO protection are more than worth the investment.

For more information on the full range of Honeywell smoke, heat and CO alarms available, please visit www.homesafety.honeywell.com.

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http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-alarms/
http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/major-rise-in-number-of-children-at-risk-of-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-in-cambridgeshire-says-study/story-29696919-detail/story.html
3 http://www.firstalert-online.co.uk/fire-safety-facts/