LOGAN House Fire Support Network founder Louie Naumovski hopes 2016 will be the year that photoelectric smoke alarms are installed in Queensland homes.
A campaign to see the alarms made mandatory is gaining traction with the state opposition last week introducing a bill to amend the Fire and Emergency Services Act 1990.
Photoelectric smoke-detecting alarms are deemed to be “far superior” to ionisation heat-detecting alarms, according to the 2014 state coroner’s report into Logan’s devastating Slacks Creek house fire in 2011.
Research has shown photoelectric alarms will sound within three minutes of a fire starting, as opposed to the 20 minutes taken by a typical ionisation alarm.
Mr Naumovski said he would be surprised if the bill was not passed in the new year.
“The ultimate goal out of all this is to save lives, if the current government do not support the bill I would be very shocked that they wouldn’t want to protect all Queenslanders,” he said.
“This should never come down to politics, this should always come down to saving lives.”
I’m all for warning the public about the dangers of power boards, Christmas lights, at this festive season, but the most important piece of wording in that coroner’s report is there were two ionisation smoke alarms in that home, that failed to activate and warn the residents.
- Louie Naumovski
Adding pressure on the government are the recently published findings into the Tewantin fire that killed four members of celebrity chef Matt Golinski’s family on Boxing Day in 2011.
State coroner Terry Ryan reported the family received "no warning" from two ionisation alarms, which failed to sound after the blaze started near the Christmas tree.
“In the last few days we have received another coroner’s report into the Matt Golinski tragic house fire,” Mr Naumovski said.
“I’m all for warning the public about the dangers of power boards, Christmas lights, at this festive season, but the most important piece of wording in that coroner’s report is there were two ionisation smoke alarms in that home, that failed to activate and warn the residents.
“This is what we’ve been campaigning for for a long long time, to get rid of those deadly ionisation alarms, ban them and make it mandatory for photoelectrics.
“It is clearly started (in the report) had them two working ionised alarms activated, the four lives would have been saved.”
LNP Member for Beaudesert Jon Krause said it was time for action on the issue.
“The government at this point in time has been continuing to hold Queensland back by failing to act on the recommendations,” he said.
“The fact is the coroner recommended that this change should be made because the (photoelectric) smoke alarms are more likely to save lives in the event of a house fire… the bill should pass and the government should get on board with it now.”
It has been more than a year since the Slacks Creek coroner’s report recommended photoelectric smoke alarms be made mandatory in Queensland.
Mr Naumovski is arranging a meeting with new Fire Minister Bill Byrne to discuss the issue following last week’s dumping of Jo-Ann Miller from the role.
