THE safety of holidaymakers in NSW has been improved with smoke alarms now compulsory in caravans, campervans and other moveable dwellings where people sleep.

The regulation change took effect from February 25 and also applies to holiday caravans, park annexes and associated structures, but not tents.

Caravans and campervans typically have limited escape options in the event of a fire, along with lightweight and combustible fittings, so a smoke alarm can mean the difference between life and death.

NSW firefighters have attended more than 692 blazes involving caravans and other recreational vehicles which resulted in 12 deaths and 72 injuries over the past 10 years.

In NSW alone, around 40,000 people live in moveable dwellings on a permanent basis while tens of thousands are used for short-term holiday or other accommodation each year.

The government changed the law in 2006 to make smoke alarms compulsory in all homes where they were not already installed, and this policy has now been extended to moveable dwellings.

Changes to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation will apply to all new and existing moveable dwellings where people sleep, regardless of whether they are registered for road use or not.

Encouragement to moveable dwelling owners to install the smoke alarms will primarily rely on education, rather than inspections, and there will be no new powers for council or police.

Under the regulation:

• Owners of caravans and mobile homes will have six months to install a smoke alarm before on-the-spot fines of up to $200 (or up to $550 if the matter proceeds to court) will apply;
• Penalties will apply where people remove or interfere with a smoke alarm already installed in a caravan or mobile home;
• Dwellings which are not regularly moved but still used for sleeping (such as site vans and caravans in backyards) are covered by the regulation;
• Smoke alarms installed in moveable dwellings must have a "hush‟ button to reduce the nuisance of false alarms from cooking or other smoke; and
• Owners of the moveable dwellings (as distinct to the tenant or the owner of the land where the dwelling is based) will be responsible for installing and maintaining or replacing the alarm.