Responsibility for smoke alarms moves from residents to housing companies

Whether a smoke alarm works has a significant effect on detecting a fire in its early stages and on escaping from it. In 2018, Tukes, the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency, coordinated a study (in Finnish) on the subject with the assistance of the Finnish National Rescue Association SPEK. The results showed that in as many as 56% of fires in residential buildings, the smoke alarm did not work, did not have time to activate or there was no smoke alarm at all. In fires resulting in deaths, the smoke alarm did not work or there was none in 73% of cases.

The role of smoke alarms in improving residential safety was also highlighted in a study by SPEK and ARA, the Housing Finance and Development Centre of Finland, which examined cost-effective ways of improving fire safety in rental housing.

The legislative reform that entered into force at the start of 2024 aims not only to improve fire safety in housing but also to simplify the related regulation.

Clear guidance and division of responsibilities

The aim of the reform is to make fire safety obligations clearer so that they are better met in practice. Previously, battery-powered smoke alarms, mains-connected smoke alarms and obligations relating to electrical safety were regulated by different acts. Now they have all been brought together in a single legislative package, which makes the obligations easier to understand.

Lauri Lehto, safety expert in fire prevention technology at SPEK, explains the content of the new law. “The owner of the building, that is, the housing company, has an obligation to survey the fire safety of the property and to draw up plans for the procurement and maintenance of smoke alarms. In addition, it must draw up instructions for residents covering the duty to notify, the operation of smoke alarms and what to do when problems occur. One of the biggest changes is that the maintenance obligation now also covers battery-powered smoke alarms. Previously, the housing company was only responsible for maintenance work on fixed electrical installations, that is, mains-connected smoke alarms.”

Although responsibility for procuring and maintaining smoke alarms now passes to the housing company, residents still have obligations too. “In future, residents will still have to make sure that the smoke alarms are in use and working properly. Any problems must be reported to the housing company. For residents to be able to meet this obligation, it is essential that they are given a good introduction to the subject. As well as how the smoke alarm works, they must also be told what to do in the event of a problem or an alarm.”

Sufficient coverage is what counts

Under the Rescue Act, a dwelling must have a sufficient number of smoke alarms and other devices that detect a starting fire as early as possible and give a warning. Under the Decree of the Ministry of the Interior on Smoke Alarms (300/2025), a dwelling must have at least one smoke alarm for every 60 m² or part thereof on each floor or level of the dwelling.

Lauri Lehto also considers the reform a good thing because it now gives housing companies the opportunity to bring their fire safety fully up to date. “When considering the number of smoke alarms, you should think not only about square metres but also about the shape of the rooms and whether there are activities in the space that pose a particular ignition risk. The number of storeys in the building and the escape routes, for example, also affect the need for smoke alarms. The most important thing is that, taking the particular features of the site into account, a sufficient number of alarms is installed so that the whole site is within hearing range of them.”

Fire safety with the highest-quality devices on the market

The starting point of the reform is that the smoke alarms installed in housing companies comply with safety standards. The best fire safety for a site is achieved with devices that meet the requirements of the EN 54 standard.

Nuutti Panula, Sales Manager at PAP, says that all the products PAP offers to housing companies comply with the EN 54 standard. “Our solution is a centralised smoke alarm system consisting of a separate central unit and the detectors in individual flats connected to it. For smaller sites, we offer Panasonic’s EBL One system, and for larger ones the EBL512 G3 solution. The latter is also suitable for really large sites, such as shopping centres.”

Fire detectors today are considerably more intelligent than before. “The system’s central unit monitors the condition of the devices in the flats. The detectors are addressable, and the panel gives a notification when, for example, a detector is dirty or needs servicing. A centrally monitored system makes managing the fire safety of a property considerably easier, as there is no longer any need to visit the flats one by one to test the detectors or change their batteries. The central unit monitors the status of the system automatically and always reports if an individual detector has developed a fault or has been disconnected from the system.”

PAP’s systems use multi-sensor detectors, which measure not only the smoke concentration in the room but also its temperature. “Many people will surely recognise the situation where a smoke alarm starts sounding because of steam spreading from a shower room, for example. One feature that significantly improves user convenience is that the sensitivity of the devices can be adjusted, or the device can be temporarily silenced with a separate button. Enabling the silence button is recommended at sites such as housing companies, as it helps to reduce unnecessary alarms.”

A modern smoke alarm system that takes the particular features of the site into account also brings cost savings to the housing company. “An alternative to battery-powered smoke alarms is wireless Panasonic devices with features equivalent to battery-powered ones. The advantage of a wireless system is that no cable needs to be run at the site during installation, which makes it a cost-effective solution. Cost-effectiveness is further improved by the fact that information about problems in the system is sent automatically to the maintenance company. Maintenance costs fall when the system indicates whether a problem needs to be fixed on site or whether remote acknowledgement is enough. A wireless system can therefore be recommended for sites that want to move to a centralised fire system that is economical over its whole life cycle.”

Remote management is also among the features of a modern fire system. “Today, systems can be managed from anywhere. Detector maintenance values can be read and all alarms acknowledged remotely.”

The Panasonic systems installed by PAP are open. This means that, if it so wishes, the housing company can put the maintenance of its system out to tender and order it freely from any fire alarm company.

Service scaled to the housing company’s needs

Housing companies receive service from PAP on a scale that suits their needs. “In addition to complete system implementations, we also offer a range of service packages. If it wishes, a housing company can order installation work, maintenance, updating and management of system documentation, or annual servicing of systems and devices from us, for example. Whatever the content of the solution, introducing a modern system increases both cost savings and quality in fire safety.”

The transition period for the reform is two years, and housing companies should make sure that their fire safety is in order by the end of 2025 at the latest. “The annual general meeting this coming spring is a good time to raise this important issue. Being proactive is the best fire protection, and with PAP’s help a housing company can easily make sure that its fire safety has been brought up to the level required by law.”

See also: Smoke alarms and fire alarm systems in a housing company and Fire safety in homes.