The research is being completed through the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC's Tactical Research Fund.
This project leverages existing research partnerships between FRNSW, CSIRO, ABCB, Standards Australia, FPAA and AFAC to deliver vital data that informs policy and regulation.
The aim of this experimental study is to assess the comparative performance of smoke alarms certified to different international and regional standards in real fire tests to provide an understanding of how current standards fare against toxic tenability and nuisance criteria.
This project aims to answer the following research questions:
- How do current AS 3786-compliant smoke alarms compare with alarms from other jurisdictions with regard to tenability in real fire tests?
- Does the revised UL 217 standard address the tenability issues that were highlighted in the previous FRNSW smoke alarm research?
- How do current AS 3786-compliant smoke alarms compare with alarms from other jurisdictions with regard to false alarm resistance?
The results and recommendations from this research will inform decisions regarding smoke alarm standards and regulation within the Australian context.