Specialised safety devices
Guidance on purchasing, installing and checking smoke alarms; and information on using fire extinguishers and fire blankets to help keep your home fire safe.
On this page
On this page
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Emergency TXT service -
Smoke alarms for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing -
Free home fire safety visit table -
Fire extinguishers and blankets -
Fire extinguisher tabs -
Home sprinklers -
Home sprinklers tabs
Emergency TXT service
People who are Deaf or hard of hearing and have hearing and/or speech difficulties can register with Police to join the 111 TXT service(external link). This service is only to be used in an emergency.
This is a nationwide service available to registered users wherever there is cell phone coverage. Registered users can contact the emergency services (Police, Fire and Ambulance) via text messaging on their cell phones.
Smoke alarms for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing
There are specialised smoke alarm systems available for people who are Deaf or are hard of hearing. These systems are a type of Hearing Assistive Technology (HAT) and include extra features that connect to a smoke alarm such as extra loud and/or lower pitch alarm sounds, flashing strobe lights, or vibrating devices to alert people to smoke or fire in their home
Ideally, you will have hard-wired, interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms(external link) fitted with bed-shakers, strobe lights, pagers or a combination of these. However, this may be too expensive.
At Fire and Emergency New Zealand, we work with partner agencies to make recommendations on this specialised equipment to support people who are Deaf or hard of hearing to have early warning in case of smoke or fire in their home. These partner agencies also have options for applying for funding for the recommended equipment on behalf of the resident. Contact one of the 4 organisations below for advice as to the most appropriate options available for you to consider and to find out more about how to arrange a free assessment of your home for HAT smoke alarm equipment:
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Free home fire safety visit If you, or someone you know, needs support with general home fire safety advice and/or advice on smoke alarms you can request a free home fire safety check using this online form or call 0800 NZ FIRE (0800 693 473). In the case that someone in the household is Deaf or hard of hearing, then they may require further recommendations for Hearing Assistive Technology equipment, so we will refer to one of our partner agencies who can support. |
Fire extinguishers and blankets
If you have a fire extinguisher or fire blanket in your home, you'll be better prepared to put out small fires before they become big ones.
If you have a fire extinguisher in your home, you'll be better prepared to put out small fires before they become big ones.
For businesses, please view our commercial advice on fire extinguishers(external link).
Using a fire extinguisher
Only use a fire extinguishers when:
- It's safe to do so considering the size and location of the fire (your extinguisher will only last 10-15 seconds once started).
- You're confident you understand how to use the extinguisher correctly.
- Everyone has been evacuated and accounted for at your safe meeting place.
- Fire and Emergency New Zealand has been called.
- You can safely access and retreat from the fire.
Remember, life is more important than property. Don't put yourself or others at risk.
Operating a fire extinguisher
When operating a fire extinguisher, use the 'PTASS' technique:
- Pull the safety pin or remove the clip.
- Test squirt the extinguisher to make sure it is working.
- Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire from a safe distance. Most extinguishers are designed to be operated from about 2 - 3 metres away.
- Squeeze the handles.
- Sweep the extinguisher from side to side while aiming at the base of the fire.
Installing a fire extinguisher
You should mount fire extinguishers on the wall, out of reach of children.
Place fire extinguishers in noticeable places where they can be accessed safely, such as:
- In or near the kitchen – not too close to the stove or cooking surfaces
- In the garage
- In cars, caravans and boats
Types of fire extinguisher
There are many different types of fire extinguishers:
- Water
- Foam
- Wet chemical
- Dry powder
- Carbon dioxide
- Specialised materials for Class D fires
The type of fire extinguisher you need depends on the class of fire you're most likely to experience.
There are 6 classes of fire:
- Class A (Wood paper plastics)
- Class B (Flammable & combustible liquids)
- Class C (Flammable gases)
- Class D (Fires involving combustible metals)
- Class E (Electrically energised equipment)
- Class F (Cooking oils and fats)
Choosing a fire extinguisher
The most likely type of fire to occur in your home is a cooking oil or fat fire in the kitchen. So if you're buying your first fire extinguisher, you should choose one for the kitchen that is capable of extinguishing Class F fires.
A Wet Chemical extinguisher is best for extinguishing cooking oil and fat fires. This type of extinguisher can also be used on most other classes of fire in the home. However, don't use wet chemical extinguishers on fires with a live electrical source.
While an ABE Dry Powder extinguisher is suitable for other types of fire in your home, you should never use it on a cooking oil or fat fire as the pressure from a dry powder extinguisher will cause the fire to spread.
Ideally, you should protect your home against the widest range of fire hazards with both an ABE Dry Powder extinguisher and a Wet Chemical extinguisher.
Home sprinklers
Home sprinklers will protect your family from the dangers of fire, 24 hours a day. They'll also reduce the amount of damage to your home, in most cases containing it to just one room.
Home sprinklers will protect your family from the dangers of fire, 24 hours a day. They'll also reduce the amount of damage to your home, in most cases containing it to just one room.
Watch the following video to see how effective home sprinklers are at controlling fire:
Sprinkler installation and cost
- You’ll need a qualified sprinkler system designer and plumber(external link) to install home sprinklers.
- The best time to install sprinklers is when you’re building a new house or substantially renovating an existing one. However, installing sprinklers into existing homes (retro-fitting) is also becoming an increasingly affordable option.
- You can choose from ceiling or wall-mounted sprinkler heads. These come in a wide range of styles so you can match them to your interior design. You can also opt for concealed sprinklers.
- A standard-sized room will need one sprinkler, a large or open-plan room will need two or more.
- Home sprinklers use ordinary domestic plumbing and can be installed in around two days.
- Sprinkler installation for a new home costs on average about 2% of the build price.
Sprinklers in rural areas
- Firefighters may take longer to reach rural locations, so home sprinklers can be a particularly useful safety device in these areas.
- If your house is in a rural area, you may need to install a pump to increase water pressure to the sprinkler heads.
Sprinkler maintenance
- Maintenance of home sprinklers is only required in the event of a fire. In this situation the affected head will need to be replaced.
- Make sure you always have two spare heads on hand for each sprinkler head type in the house. Then if one is used or becomes damaged you can keep your family and home protected again as soon as possible.
- Never hang anything from or tie anything to a sprinkler head.