Don’t wait for the siren – local firefighters urge action

Make sure your fire alarms are in place this winter. Photo TWH

Fire and Rescue NSW is urging residents to avoid deadly complacency this winter by ensuring there are working smoke alarms installed in their home.

Last winter, NSW recorded 1,039 residential fires. In 44 per cent of those cases, the home either didn’t have a smoke alarm or the alarm failed to activate. These fires resulted in the deaths of 12 people, and 107 injuries were recorded.

Local firefighters say winter poses a particularly high risk.

“As the weather cools, a lot of us tend to stay at home and cook more hot meals,” FRNSW Zone Commander, Superintendent Anthony Hojel said.

“The risk of fires in our homes increases during the colder months as we do our best to stay warm. Last winter, we saw the majority of fires start in the kitchen (41.58 per cent) and in nearly half (48.99 per cent) of those, ‘human factor’ was the main cause. We’re reminding people to avoid distractions when preparing meals and to keep looking while cooking.”

Superintendent Hojel said the most critical safety measure remains a working smoke alarm.

“Above all, make sure you have a smoke alarm installed nearby. It can provide you with those crucial seconds to get everyone out of the home safely if there is a fire,” he said.

Tim Jennings, Duty Commander for FRNSW Western Slopes 2, said misconceptions remain around the availability of fire safety services.

“Some people think we don’t do home fire safety visits anymore, but we absolutely do, and it’s free,” he said. […]

Read more local news in the printed edition of The Western Herald.

To subscribe call (02) 6872 2333 today and receive The Western Herald in your letterbox next week!