Fire safety experts call for banning of common smoke alarm

WA fire safety experts are demanding a common type of household smoke alarm be banned, because it's too slow to react.

They say ionisation detectors are putting lives at risk, and they're urging families to replace them immediately.

Fire engineers say up to half of all homes in WA are fitted with the cheaper, slower, ionisation alarms.

"For the cost of up to about $10 difference between the two types of alarms, you're much better off with a photoelectric detector," fire project engineer Stephen King said.

"So photoelectric detectors will pick up a smoldering fire in the early stages, and those are the types of fires that happen when people are asleep."

Mr King said many people disable ionisation alarms because they're more likely to falsely beep at cooking steam or burning toast, leaving residents with no fire protection at all.

Last month, a horror blaze in Thornlie killed 69-year-old Hugo Alaniz and his great grandson, Thyreese.

Firefighters revealed the batteries had been removed from their smoke detector days before.

Ionisation smoke alarms have a bright yellow radiation symbol on the back.

While both types of alarms are legal by Australian standards, fire safety experts are now calling on the State Government to follow Queensland and the Northern Territory to ban ionisation alarms in WA.

Firefighters said regardless of the type of alarm, it's important to regularly check they work.

"Having a home fire escape plan is critical, once a smoke alarm activates it's important to ensure you and your family know what to do," DFES Assistant Commissioner Rick Curtis said.