Smoke alarms often go off due to environmental conditions such as burning the toast, opening the oven, using spray cans etc. They also activate for no apparent reason and when they do it is extremely unsettling for the elderly and NDIS participants – most of whom do not know how to silence them, let alone have the physical capability to reach them.

More and more homes have interconnected smoke alarms which means if one goes off, they all go off. When they do the noise is deafening and extremely unsettling for the occupants and their pets and neighbours. By the end of 2026 every home in Queensland has to have interconnected smoke alarms inside every bedroom – certainly increasing safety but enhancing the risk for the elderly and NDIS participants when they try to silence the alarms. And most would not be technically capable of identifying the triggered alarm and knowing how to silence them.