Why are Smoke Alarms so loud?

Why are Smoke Alarms so loud? Its quite simple, to get your attention! If you are asleep, you need a loud, unexpected noise to wake you. If you are in a deep sleep, wear earplugs or require medication, it must be loud enough to cover these circumstances too. Smoke Alarms are designed to be heard over maximum ambient sound (e.g. vacuuming, watching TV, listening to music). They need to be louder than the general noise created in your home as fires can happen at any time.

Can a Smoke Alarms damage your hearing?

A Smoke Alarm gives out a signal of around 85 decibels. Even if we assume it emits a sound of 90 decibels, your hearing is still safe and will only be at risk after an hour or so.

Usually, noises below 75 decibels are safe. With stronger sounds, don’t expose your ears for too long. For example, with sounds of 85 decibels, you reach the safety limit after 8 hours.

Smoke Alarms detect smoke, alert you and provide critical seconds to implement actions and get out of the property. This is why Smoke Alarm sirens are required to sound louder than ambient noises.

To be exact, Smoke Alarms are required to be 15 decibels above the average noise level or 5 decibels above the maximum ambient sound, whichever is greater.

So for the short amount of time you are exposed to the sound of a smoke alarm, it will not cause any permanent damage to your hearing.

Need assistance in checking if your Smoke Alarms meet the minimum decibel requirement? Contact us on 0508 766 532 or email info@sats.co.nz

SATS

EXCITING NEWS!!

We are excited to share some great news with our loyal customers across New Zealand and Australia.

On August 1st 2021 SATS New Zealand and Australia had a change in its ownership structure by taking on an investment from the PieLAB Council Capital.

Founded by Jeremy Batten, SATS has grown from a start-up to a successful international brand, comprising of over 70 employees, managing many thousands of properties across two countries.

From day one SATS greatest asset has been its people, technology, and steadfast dedication to customer service… Never has this been truer than today.

Jeremy decided it was time to enhance the business and take it to the next level and has identified PieLAB Council Capital as the investment partner to do this.

The PieLAB team have joined Jeremy and the existing shareholders to further increase the opportunities available to the SATS stakeholders, team, and customers.

Jeremy will remain a shareholder and join a new board of directors including Richard Anderson and Chris Rolls from PieLAB. PieLAB brings a wealth of knowledge, business experience and a new corporate skill-set to further improve the SATS community.

Daniel will continue to manage the business with his existing team.

The vision is that SATS will continue to run as it is today in line with its current values and beliefs. We will however invest further in our key assets being people, technology and customer service to provide a continually improving service to our loyal customers.

Of course, If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us on 0508 766 532 or info@sats.co.nz

We thank you for your support!

Increase in fines for Smoke Alarm Compliance

Fines have increased, is it worth the risk?

Smoke alarms are a lifesaver. And in rentals, they’re a legal requirement.
A Landlord who fails to comply with the regulations will be committing an unlawful act and may be liable for a penalty of up to $7,200!

There are still smoke alarms that have gone untouched in residential homes leading to inactive alarms and many properties that do not have the minimum requirement of alarms installed for the property to be compliant.

The responsibility for ensuring that each smoke alarm in a residence is operational falls on the Landlord/Property Manager – so while this message is out there to test and replace the batteries, there are still residential properties failing to meet requirements in regard to smoke alarms.

By utilising SATS you can rest easy knowing that your smoke alarms will be tested, cleaned and checked for compliance within the New Zealand legislation standards.

Further information regarding legislation can be found HERE

SATS

Reducing fire-related deaths

Reducing fire-related deaths may be as simple as having working Smoke Alarms. Working Smoke Alarms in your home can decrease your chances of perishing in a fire by half. 

SMOKE ALARMS SAVE LIVES

If you have a fire in your home, in as little as 30 seconds a small flame can become a major fire that ravages a home and threatens lives. Smoke Alarms safeguard the lives of your family, they detect smoke well before any sleeping occupant would. They provide critical seconds to implement actions and get out of the property.

According to statistics, at least 70% of fire-related deaths occur in homes that either have no Smoke Alarms or the Smoke Alarms don’t work. The presence of a Smoke Alarm in your home can reduce the risk of dying in a fire by 50%.

The majority of homes today have had Smoke Alarms installed. Unfortunately too many homes have Smoke Alarms that just don’t work properly or simply do not work at all. Many fatalities occur, because a Smoke Alarm has been disconnected, is missing or has been poorly maintained.

SMOKE ALARM MAINTENANCE HELPS IN REDUCING FIRE-RELATED DEATHS

Check your Smoke Alarms are installed correctly, in good working order and regularly maintained. A working Smoke Alarm can mean the difference between life or death in many cases.

  • Always maintain your smoke alarms according to manufacturer’s instructions.
  • Test your smoke alarms once a week using the test button
  • Always follow manufacturer’s instruction in cleaning your Smoke Alarm
  • Educate your family on the importance of Smoke Alarms and how they work so they know how to respond. (and have/practice an escape plan)
  • Smoke Alarms with long life batteries are designed to remain effective within the duration indicated. Once the alarm sounds that the battery is low, you should replace the Smoke Alarm immediately. Smoke Alarms with any other type of battery need a new battery at least once a year. If the alarm sounds that the battery is low, replace it immediately.
  • Make sure you have a sufficient amount of Smoke Alarms in your home and they are located in the correct positions.

If you need assistance in checking if your Smoke Alarms are working properly, or you need help in replacing them, give us a call at 0508 766 532 or email info@sats.co.nz

 

Working from home

Working from home is the new reality for many of us as we learn to live with COVID. It’s important to do everything you can to make your home as safe as possible.

Working from home can pose many challenges for people. Whether it is working around home-schooling, partners also working from home or having to keep our fur babies off zoom, we can forget to make sure our homes are safe for us to work from.

So how do you make sure you are working safely from home?

IDENTIFY PHYSICAL HAZARDS

When working from home, identify and address physical hazards in the home office that may be caused by poor housekeeping and improper equipment.

  • Avoid conditions that create electrical hazards (e.g: computers and other equipment plugged into extension cords),
  • trip hazards (e.g: electrical wires scattered along walking paths),
  • blocked exit paths, and falling object hazards (e.g: overloaded book shelves)

SETUP YOUR WORKING FROM HOME OFFICE CORRECTLY

Help avoid sprains and strains by making sure you have the correct chair height and the chair supports your back. Have your mouse within easy reach and on the same surface as your keyboard.

ESTABLISH A WORK ROUTINE

To ensure that you still have a work life balance, you must establish reasonable boundaries between work and personal life by developing a work routine.

Avoid unnecessary and avoidable work-related communication outside regular working hours. You can also pre-plan and create variations in your work routine as well as substituting exercise for what was commute time.

FIRST AID

Keep a First Aid Kit in a safe, dry, easily accessible location. Some basic supplies may include: sterile eye dressings, crepe rolled bandages, band-aids of different sizes and shapes and antiseptic spray.

Another consideration is to take a first aid course, its always good to know what to do in an emergency!

FIRE SAFETY

  • Check and replace all damaged and frayed electrical cords on electrical equipment, including computers and laptops.
  • If you have pets in the house, make sure they can’t access the cords (so they can’t attempt to chew on them).
  • Make sure devices are charging on a safe surface and not under a pillow or in your bed.
  • Many house fires start in the kitchen, don’t leave stove-tops and other cooking appliances unattended.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY WHEN WORKING FROM HOME

Make sure you have a working Smoke Alarm! A Smoke Alarm can only save lives if they are present, properly maintained and in good working order. 

Also have a fire extinguisher and fire blanket in the house, they are essential for protecting your home against a fire.

If you need assistance in checking if your Smoke Alarms are in good working order , or you need help in replacing them, give us a call at 0508 766 532 or email info@sats.co.nz

Dead Air Space

Smoke Alarms are vital for your home. They are made to be installed on ceilings (and when necessary, on walls) to detect smoke. However, there are areas in your home where they should not be installed, in the dead air space.

When we are at sleep, our sense of smell is lost, which eliminates our capacity to detect smoke and early warning signs of fire. This means it’s vital that smoke alarms are installed strategically to give us enough time to get to safety. They should be placed in areas where the air is not blocked from circulating.

WHAT ARE DEAD AIR SPACES?

Dead air spaces are areas in a property that gets air trapped which stops smoke from moving into that area. When a Smoke Alarm is installed in this area, the smoke may not reach it and trigger the alarm.

In a fire, smoke travels by rolling up the surface of the walls within the property. If the smoke is rolling against a surface with a sharp corner, then the smoke will not roll through that corner. Instead, it will float within the pocket of trapped air, leaving the space after the sharp corner unable to detect smoke as it is stuck in an air bubble.

Generally, dead air spaces can be found in property spaces that contain cathedral ceilings, corner junctions between the wall and roof or between exposed floor joists.

That’s why when installing Smoke Alarms you need to know where to install them. They should be in a position where they can detect smoke before it crawls into a dead air space.

HOW TO AVOID DEAD AIR SPACES?

Since dead air spaces appear in the corner of rooms and between exposed roof beams, here are some places you need to avoid:

  • Corners of rooms
  • Near A/C vents, windows that open, and ceiling fans
  • Near warm areas of the property like bathrooms and saunas
Other areas that you should avoid when installing smoke alarms:
  • Anywhere within 1.5 meters of a fluorescent light as the electromagnetic interference may affect the smoke alarms
  • In the kitchen, since this is an area with constant heat and smoke

If the Smoke Alarms in your investment property happen to be located in dead air spaces you’re facing a big challenge. Contact SATS today to have you property professionally serviced.

Reduce your risk

, ,

“Compliance” is a common word these days in the industry. Ensure your Smoke Alarms are still being maintained regardless of industry changes and deadlines.

Fires can occur to properties that are serviced by SATS too.  Here is what some of our Property Managers have to say…

“The fire started in the ceiling of the en-suite and the alarm closest to the main bedroom alerted the tenants, who rang the fire brigade. The fire was contained to the en-suite and ceiling cavity above the main bedroom. The tenants were sitting in the lounge at the far end of the house, this could’ve been much much worse. We are so thankful that there were alarms throughout the property, which have an annual servicing from SATS.”

“Both fires were attached to properties that our agency manage, one is managed by myself and thankfully the smoke alarms were maintained by SATS and were in working order, meaning our tenant was alerted to the fire and was able to escape through a window and down the fire escape.”

“Sadly I have had a very serious fire just two weeks ago where a  three story townhouse burnt to the ground so the urgency for me is now front of mind. Thankfully there were working smoke alarms that saved the family of five who were fast asleep on the top floor.”

“Another flat fire this morning – it is one of our properties and is an upstairs property. The one below this caught on fire early hours this morning damaging our property with smoke – our smoke alarms went off.”

Here are some other recent events so far this Spring…

“For us, every house fire is a failure, especially when there’s a fatality.”
Full article here

“There were no smoke alarms in the house, and that’s something else that people have got to ensure they have in place and working properly.”
Full article here

Leave the job to SATS, not to chance.

Contact SATS today for further information
0508 766 532 or info@sats.co.nz

SATS Terminology

Are you sometimes left scratching your head, not certain on what some of our “Terminology” means?

Well never fear help is here!

For this month’s editorial, we are going to explain what the different job types mean.

Yearly Maintenance: Depending if you are on subscription billing structure or billed after SATS have physically attended to the property, a yearly maintenance job is when you pay for our annual service fee.

Annual Service: SATS has physically attended to the property for the annual inspection of the Smoke Alarms.

Once Off: SATS have been advised that the property is to be tested only once and is not to be serviced ongoing.

Change of Tenancy: SATS have been advised by you that the tenants are changing at the property and to attend to service the Smoke Alarms.

Fix or Replace: SATS have been advised by you that a Smoke Alarm is not performing correctly at a property and to attend to service the Smoke Alarms.

Do you have Clients where English is their second language?

In a multicultural country like New Zealand, there’s a good chance that you regularly communicate with clients from diverse countries and cultures.

Being able to communicate in more than one language is an amazing feat.

But it’s no secret, intercultural communication isn’t always easy, for either party. There can be linguistic and cultural barriers. Connecting with clients in their primary language breaks up the cultural differences, builds trust and shows understanding.

SATS appreciates that tenants and Landlords come from all corners of the globe.

Multilingual materials are key to reaching out to people where English is their second language. SATS is able to communicate via the latest technology, and in multiple languages.

Call or email SATS now to find out more

It’s Official!

Smoke Alarm Testing Services is excited to announce, that we have acquired the business of Smoke Alarm Professionals. The Smoke Alarm Professionals team will be joining the SATS New Zealand team in our vision to educate people on the importance of working Smoke Alarms and providing them with the best service within the industry.

Seven years ago, when three of us were sitting in a bare office working on launching SATS New Zealand, we never imagined we would get this far.

As we pause to celebrate our growth and reflect on our achievements, it both feels like we’ve come a long way and also, somehow, like we’re just getting started.

This is a huge milestone for SATS New Zealand. We look forward to what the future will hold.

SATS would like to thank all of our clients and employees for making this possible. We could have never achieved so much in so little time without you and we look forward to achieving even greater things in the future!