Australian Standard AS1851 sets out the requirements for the routine servicing of fire protection systems and equipment. Section 6 covers the functional testing of a Fire Detection and Alarm System.
This section also refers to Appendix G - Fire Detector Testing that specifically describes the test medium for testing fire detectors as follows;
Australian Standard AS1851:2012 (A1), Appendix G - Fire Detector Testing
- Heat detectors—a source of heated air is the preferred medium. The temperature of the air shall be controlled to produce a predictable rate of increase. The upper temperature shall be limited to a value appropriate to the detector being tested.
- Smoke detectors—a source of particulate material that does not contaminate the sensing chamber or entry screen and which contains particles in the size range appropriate to the detector.
- Carbon monoxide (CO) detectors—a source of gas that does not adversely affect the sensing element, or entry screen, of the detector and which contains gas appropriate to the detector.
- Aspirating smoke detection systems that do not excessively contaminate, impact the test result or be of a nature that adheres to the internal surfaces of the aspirating smoke detector pipe system.
While the manufacturer may incorporate a facility such as a magnet and reed-switch to test the operation of a fire detector, this is not a substitute for using the correct test media as described in Appendix G of the Standard.