TV star Mike Goldman’s stark warning after smoke alarms saved his life

Mike Goldman’s house fire has prompted him to make a stark warning to all Aussies and the government.

TV and radio personality Mike Goldman is calling for all state governments to adopt stricter smoke alarm laws after they saved his family’s life.

Goldman, who is the voice of Australian reality show’s Big Brother, and his family were asleep at 4am when a fire started in his Queensland family home.

Goldman, his wife, young son and dog were all unharmed thanks to the smoke alarms installed around his house alerting them to the blaze.

But his property was not spared, causing roughly $800,000-$1 million worth of damage and leaving the home completely unliveable.

Since the shocking event, Goldman is warning all Aussies to check their smoke alarms which he said “saved his life” and is calling for the federal government to make stricter regulations across the country.

The state of Mike Goldman’s family home after the fire.

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“It’s now law in Queensland to have smoke alarms in every room,” he said.

“It’s mind-blowing that the government don’t care and won’t make it law (in every state),” he said.

“I just do not understand, they should make it mandatory in every room … people are dying, I’m lucky.”

He also said cheap chargers from places like SHEIN or Temu aren’t up to Australian regulations and can also be a fire risk when charging.

Queensland has the strictest smoke detector requirements across the country, stating that there must be interconnected photoelectric smoke alarms in all hallways, bedrooms and each level, with a strict compliance for rentals since January 2022 as well.

Shockingly, smoke alarm requirements vary across states and Queensland was the only state that required them in every room and to be interconnected.

Goldman said the fact that the alarms were interconnected was vital in saving his family’s life.

“If they’re all going off, you know,” he added.

The fire was in the hallway, this is his sons room after the incident. Picture: Supplied

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In NSW, Victoria, ACT, Tasmania and SA only one smoke alarm was required for each level of the home – they aren’t required in every room and don’t need to be connected.

In WA, on a level where bedrooms are separated at either end of the floorplan two smoke alarms are required and in the ACT they were required to be interconnected but only for new homes.

“Governments should subsidise it like they do with solar. With cost of living, families can’t afford new smoke alarms,” Goldman added.

The Cannon Hill fire department who Goldman says made it in “record time”.

The cause of the fire was investigated but officials were unable to determine what sparked the blaze, with Goldman warning it could happen to anyone.

“I went down a rabbit hole of how it started. We had forensic officers from the fire department and the police and all they could say was it was something to do with the fuse box,” he said.

“It’s ‘CHECKTEMBER’ now, so the number one thing is to check your smoke alarms.

Mike Goldman at wife Bianca Zouppas. Picture: Supplied

“From years of DJing and having headphones on for hours on end as a radio announcer or Big Brother or Meerkat Manor, my hearing isn’t the best. I’ve just found out I need hearing aids and there’s a certain frequency that I don’t hear when I’m asleep,” he said.

“The best ones for people that are hard of hearing and young children are 520 hertz.”

Goldman has now teamed up with Aussie Kidz charity and Queensland Watch Smoke Alarms to put $10,000 worth of smoke alarms into the homes of families who can’t afford it.

“It’s fact that families with lower-socio economic backgrounds that may not have the money to pay for smoke alarms are at a higher risk,” he said.

“The biggest reminder for everyone is check your smoke alarms. They saved our lives.”

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