Smoke alarms

What are smoke alarms

Every home must have working smoke alarms

Smoke alarms must be installed in all homes in Victoria, including caravans. It is the responsibility of all owners and rental providers to install working smoke alarms.

Victorian fire fighters respond to more than 3,000 home fires a year.

A small fire can spread to an entire room in minutes. Smoke alarms give you more time to escape.

During the day, you are more likely to be alert and notice if there is a fire. This means that you can quickly take action if there is a fire. It's more likely that you'll have more time to get out safely and that less damage would be done to your home.

People are more likely to die in a fire at night time when they are sleeping. Smoke alarms are designed to wake you up from a deep sleep. This is important because you lose your sense of smell when you are asleep and may not wake up to the smell of smoke.

Where to install smoke alarms

The law requires you to have a smoke alarm between each sleeping area and the rest of the house. Normally this is a hallway outside a bedroom or bedrooms.

CFA recommends having more smoke alarms than legally required - every bedroom and living area.

This is because:

• Over the last 10 years in Victoria, 60% of fires where people died started in the bedroom or living area.
• Research shows if a fire has started in a bedroom and the doors are closed, a smoke alarm outside the bedroom won't go off.

We also recommend putting smoke alarms in other rooms where you charge devices. This is because lithium-ion batteries found in devices like phones, laptops, e-bikes and tools have been known to start fires when charging.

Having extra smoke alarms increases your chance of surviving a house fire.

Page last updated: Monday, 7 September 2026 7:26:24 PM