60 Minutes special – how effective are your fire alarms?
October 20, 2014Photoelectric vs ionisation, what’s the difference?
Australia’s deadliest house fire tragically took the lives of three women and eight children from two families in Queensland in 2011. Three years on, a 60 minutes special investigation with Karl Stefanovic looks into the tragedy and types of fire alarms available. Australia’s leading fire expert David Isaac tells how there are two types of smoke detectors – photoelectric and ionisation. Ionisation is the one that more than 90 percent of Australian homes have installed, yet this is the one that reacts to heat and flames – not smoke. David Isaac tells how once a fire reaches the flaming stage, you have less than three minutes to escape. That’s why it’s so imperative to have a photoelectric smoke detector installed and maintained, because it will go off at the detection of smoke, not fire! The two types of detectors look and feel much the same, so it’s best you employ a professional to check and update your fire alarm systems to photoelectric.
At Sectrol Security we’d like to see that statistic completely reversed and improved to the point where 100 percent of Australian homes are fitted with photoelectric smoke detectors. We install and maintain photoelectric alarms across Victoria, please contact us to book a quote and service.
Follow the links to watch each part of this insightful 60 Minutes special: