Fire Safety
Essential fire safety measures and legislative requirements.
Essential Fire Safety
Fire safety is important to ensure the safety of the lives of persons who reside in, work in, or visit buildings of various classes defined by the Building Code of Australia (BCA) such as group homes, residential flats, offices, shops, warehouses, factories and assembly buildings.
Property owners and general business operators who own or operate in buildings other than single dwellings and townhouses are responsible for the certification of essential fire safety measures. Gosford City Council has a statutory duty in pursuing the fulfillment of legislative requirements governing fire safety.
Council's annual fire safety statements fact sheet (PDF File, 23.5kb) describes this process in greater detail.
Fire Safety Information Sheet
Information in the Fire Safety Information (PDF File, 127.8kb) aims to increase general fire safety awareness, understanding of fire safety issues and how Council deals with building fire safety.
Smoke Alarms
Are smoke alarms compulsory?
From 1 May 2006, all NSW residents must have at least one working smoke alarm installed on each level of their home. This includes owner occupied, rental properties, relocatable homes or any other residential building where people sleep.
What type of smoke alarm should be used?
Smoke alarms must meet the Australian Standard AS 3786-1993 required by the Building Regulations.
What residential buildings require smoke alarms?
The Building Regulations require self-contained smoke alarms to be installed in all residential buildings including dwellings within buildings of other non-residential use.
The following building classes as defined in the Building Code of Australia (BCA) are included:
| Building Class | Description |
|---|---|
| Class 1a | Detached house, row house, town house, terrace house or villa unit |
| Class 1b | Boarding house, guest house or hostel |
| Class 2 | Building containing sole-occupancy units (e.g. apartments, block of flats) |
| Class 3 | Backpackers accommodation, residential part of a hotel or motel, residential part of a school, accommodation for the aged, disabled or children. |
| Class 4 | A dwelling in a non-residential building (e.g. house attached to a shop). |
You should familiarise yourself with the Class of building in which you intend installing your smoke alarm, as this will affect its required location.
If you are renting a dwelling or unit, it is the owner's (landlord's) responsibility to ensure smoke alarms are installed and kept in working condition. However, a tenant can take action to ensure compliance with the Regulations.
Further information can be obtained from the Department of Planning web site: