Smoke alarms have a life span of 10 years and May 1 marked a decade since the introduction of mandatory smoke alarms in every house.

Dubbo Fire Station station officer Mick Medlin said it was an opportunity for people to also look at installing newer-technology alarms for additional protection.

"In Dubbo we have been lucky. We haven't had a house fire death here since 2004, when three children died. Then the closest one was in Peak Hill in 2010, when a grandfather and his grandchild died," station officer Medlin said.

"In that time there has been a lot of people who have escaped fires and a lot who have been rescued from fire, and a lot of those have been because smoke alarms have been working properly and alerted them.

"Every month you should test your alarm, every six months you should clean your alarm and every 12 months you should change your battery. This year our campaign is that they should change their smoke alarms if they are in the vicinity of 10 years old," he said.

Dubbo station officer Mick Medlin said people should take the opportunity to install new photo electric-type alarms because they could give a better chance of escaping a house fire early.

"We are also recommending people change from an ionisation alarm to a photo electric alarm because it is more efficient in detecting fires in their early smouldering stage to give the occupant more time to escape that dwelling and get an earlier response from fire services," he said.

"Seconds will make the difference. A fire can take hold in a dwelling and become an uncontrollable fire in three minutes and anywhere beyond that three minutes, the chance of a person escaping without the assistance of fire services is greatly diminished."

Station officer Medlin said it was relatively simple to replace a battery-operated smoke alarm and for those that are hard-wired into the house, an electrician should be called. There was virtually no difference in price between a basic nine-volt photoelectric or ionisation alarm, Mr Medlin said, while for a bit more a person could also get one with a 10-year lithium battery, to eliminate the need for annual battery changes.

"If you are changing a $3 to $4 battery every year for 10 years, it's basically the same cost as the lithium battery one that gives you extra piece of mind.

Mr Medlin said the 10-year battery was a good option for landlords to help them stay compliant with legislation.

"Every time a new tenant comes in, they are meant to replace the battery and then they are supposed to be supplying batteries to the tenant each year to ensure they are maintained," he said.