Reducing the Risk of Fire
Coming into the warmer seasons of the year we also see the beginning of fire season. Household fires, unfortunately are a common occurrence in Australia. Here is some information on causes of household fires and some tips to prevent fires starting in your home.
Major causes of house fires:
More than 11,000 residential fires occur in Australia every year. It is estimated that around 50 deaths a year are caused by these accidental house fires. The majority of these house fires are preventable!
Unsurprisingly, more than half of house fires begin in the kitchen as accidents often starting in stoves, ovens, microwaves or toasters. The lead cause for house fires in NSW is leaving cooking unattended.
Household fires can often also start from faulty wiring, incorrect use of appliances or unattended household items such as candles, heaters, hair straighteners or irons.
Safety around the Home:
- Turn pot handles inwards. Handles hanging over the edge of the stove are easily knocked by children
- Keep loose clothing, tea towels and flammable items away from the stove
- Keep matches out of reach of children
- Never leave cooking unattended. Turn off the stove before you leave
- Store flammable materials such as aerosols, cleaning agents and cooking oils away from heat
- Never try to put out a fat or oil fire with water
- Check your smoke alarms yearly
- Never leave heated appliances unattended such as hair straighteners, irons, heaters etc
- Do a thorough clean of your chimney at the beginning and end of its season of use
- Ensure all your electrical cords are tagged correctly and undamaged
- Don’t overload power points and power boards
- Keep everything 1meter away from heaters
- Extinguish cigarettes properly before disposal
For more information visit: https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=879