Re: Ex-smoker, vaper here
Actually there's little to no nicotine in the exhalation as it's very rapidly absorbed by the lungs.
In terms of vaping indoors I would expect a reasonable compromise would be to allow vaping in closed "vaping lounges" and/or individual offices. Those wanting a blanket ban on vaping inside are being unreasonable; those wanting to vape everywhere inside are being unreasonable.
Smoke alarms: I've managed to set a domestic one off only when deliberately trying (for an unusual amount of time). If non-domestic alarms are overly sensitive, they should probably be re-engineered to detect smoke and not vapour.