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Smoke alarms compulsory for caravans in NSW

Posted by Freddy Morton.


Caravan refrigeration owners will be interested to hear that the New South Wales (NSW) government is moving to protect mobile home residents by making smoke alarms mandatory in all caravans, reports streetcorner.com.


While all new caravans in Australia come with smoke alarms as standard the new regulations are to encourage owners of older caravans to have them fitted for their own safety.


Minister for planning, Tony Kelly, said: "There are currently around 330,000 caravans and recreational vehicles (RVs) registered in Australia, with up to 80,000 being used by holidaymakers and travellers on any given day, who deserve the same level of fire safety that already exists in homes."


He added that the risk of fire in caravans and other RVs is high due to the confined spaces and combustible nature of the materials in them. Smoke alarms would prevent many of the incidents which have occurred in the past, he suggested.


The NSW government cited pre-emptive hush button technology as a crucial factor in allowing this regulation to be brought in without unduly affecting the enjoyment of people using caravans on a regular basis.


NSW is a very popular destination for caravanners in Australia and offers over 260 caravan and camp sites.