Nationwide smoke detector obligation

(verpd) Smoke detectors must be installed in all new or converted flats. From January 1, 2017, this will also apply to Berlin, where there was no such provision so far. For existing houses, there are still different regulations.

In a fire, it all depends on seconds. A smoke detector ensures that all residents are warned in good time in the event of a fire. As a result, all federal states have enacted regulations requiring homeowners to install smoke detectors. As the last federal state, Berlin has planned to install new buildings and conversions from 1 January 2017 onwards. However, there are still differences when smoke detectors need to be installed in existing homes

According to the German Insurance Association e.V. (GDV), up to 500 people are killed each year in apartment fires in Germany. Around 70 percent of the fatalities are reported to be causing accidents at night, according to the Forum’s fire smoke prevention e.V. The reason: About 95 percent of the burnt victims die from smoke poisoning. In a fire, among other toxic gases, the odorless flue gases carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are produced. Just a few breaths of these flue gases are enough to become unconscious and suffocate. However, smoke is not perceived while you are asleep, because in a person’s sleep, the sense of smell of a human hardly works. As a rule, however, only two to four minutes remain to escape the highly toxic gases produced in a fire. An existing smoke detector, also called fire or fire alarm, warns with loud and shrill sounds so early that those affected can escape from a burning apartment.

This is how a smoke detector works

The functional principle of smoke detectors commonly used in private households is described in the web portal of the Forum Fire Fume Prevention e.V.: “The sensors of a smoke detector work according to the optical principle, ie in the measuring chamber of the device light rays are emitted which normally do not hit the photo lens. When smoke enters the smoke chamber, the emitted light rays are scattered by the smoke particles and deflected onto the photoelement. The detected smoke signal triggers the loud alarm sound. “Smoke detectors already report the cold smoke of a smoldering fire, which is already formed at the beginning of a fire, even before flames can be dangerous and the flue gas concentration is fatal, and thus allow a timely escape. The functionality of the battery operated smoke detectors should be checked regularly, at least once a month, with the test button provided for this purpose. Incidentally, the devices indicate a necessary battery change a few days earlier with an acoustic signal.

Install correctly

Smoke detectors should at least meet the EN 14604 standard and be installed on the ceiling at a distance of at least 50 centimeters from the walls in a horizontal position for proper functioning. They are recommended in almost all rooms of an apartment as well as in corridors, attics and in the basement. Insufficient placements are close to air ducts or places with strong drafts and in rooms where steam, dust or smoke may occur; However, there are special solutions such as heat detectors for such rooms as kitchen and bathroom. Some fire detectors have batteries that last up to twelve years and some devices can be networked with each other. The latter is advantageous for larger or multi-storey apartments, because then all detectors acoustically report when the alarm is triggered on one of the devices. There are also smoke detectors for the deaf. Further information about, among other things, the different smoke detectors, their installation and maintenance is available online in the web portal of the campaign “Smoke Detectors Save Lives” at www.rauchmelder-lebensretter.de.

Smoke detector required for new, converted and existing apartments

From 2017 there will no longer be a state in which smoke detectors are not required, at least for new buildings and conversions, after the last two states, namely Brandenburg since 1 July 2016 and Berlin from 1 January 2017, have introduced corresponding obligations , However, there are still several federal states that provide for transitional arrangements for existing buildings. Thus, in Saarland and North Rhine-Westphalia until 31.12.2016, in Bavaria until 31.12.2017, in Thuringia until 31.12.2018 and in Berlin and Brandenburg until 31.12.2020 existing apartments must be retrofitted with a fire alarm. In all other federal states, a smoke detector is already mandatory for existing buildings. In most federal states, the homeowner is responsible for installing the legally required fire detectors. Depending on the state, the tenant may also be responsible for the operational readiness and functionality. By means of corresponding clauses in the rental agreement, the installation, maintenance, replacement of the battery as well as the functional test of the devices can also be transferred to the hirer. In principle, fire experts recommend installing smoke detectors in all apartments and houses, regardless of whether this is already required by law or not.

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