Standard for Smoke Alarms

Strategic Need: This will be a consensus-based binational smoke alarm standard for Canada and the United States developed with input from consumer groups, life safety experts, technicians, engineers, government officials, manufacturers, academia and other groups that may be interested. The involvement of interested parties and input from user groups ensure broad representation in the standardization work and the subsequent application (through regulation and standards) to ensure that life safety systems perform as intended. This contributes to the safety of buildings occupants, households, and others in areas resulting in reduced adverse economic impact and saved lives. These requirements are intended for smoke alarms to communicate critical information within households during an emergency and alert occupants to egress to safety as quickly as possible. This Standard is written in a form suitable for adoption as part of Codes and regulations (NBC, NRC, NEC, Health Canada) by the authorities having jurisdiction; therefore, it will contribute to the protection of the public. This Standard also contains requirements that consider the health and safety of the installers, inspectors and verifiers of life safety systems. The requirements are developed with the view to achieve Canadian recognition and acceptability; to ensure that the requirements are reproducible and repeatable; and to establish consistent criteria for industry and regulation. The requirements are also developed to ensure that intellectual property of other SDOs is protected. The standard will be a Canadian national standard intended for continuous maintenance and is written in a form that allows for technological advancement and product innovation. Geographical representation: The standard applies to all provinces and territories in Canada since smoke alarms are used indoors throughout the country. Membership representation from across Canada (Ontario, Quebec, West and National) ensures that local views, practices and regulations are considered in the development of standard requirements. Trade: The requirements are developed with input and cooperation from industry representatives from both U.S.A. and Canada. The requirements are developed in an open, transparent and balanced process, technology-neutral and based on performance to provide a level playing field and promote manufacturers to compete more effectively in an open market Similar international and foreign standards have been identified and considered. This standard is developed to create a level playing field, enhance access to markets, and facilitate the flow of goods across domestic and international borders. .