Prevent House Fires This Winter With Our Fire Safety Tips

With around 60% of annual house fires happening during the winter months, it is not surprising that NSW firefighters are now urging home owners to be prepared for winter and not to leave fire safety to chance. Ensure you are prepared by following our fire safety tips to keep you and your family safe from house fires this winter.

Fire safety tips

It takes minutes for a fire to develop and cause destruction, but it only takes seconds to prevent it through basic, common sense precautions.

1. Have a fire escape plan

Coming up with a fire escape plan is essential to keeping your family safe. Write the plan down and discuss it with all family members. Make sure your children know what to do in case a fire does happen. The plan should be practiced twice a year so everyone in the home knows what they are doing.

A few tips to remember when coming up with your plan are:

  • Where possible, have two ways to escape a room.
  • Ensure everyone can reach door and window keys.
  • Demonstrate how to safely break glass windows.
  • Avoid smoke by staying close to the floor, crawling to the exits if need be.

New South Wales Fire and Rescue have a great template you can use when drawing your family’s escape plan.

Winter Fire Haze

2. Ensure your smoke alarms are working!

Having a smoke alarm installed can be the difference between life and death. Did you know, when you are asleep you do not smell the smoke from a fire? You are also twice as likely to die in a house fire if you don’t have a smoke alarm. These statistics from New South Wales Fire and Rescue are alarming and should be taken seriously.

Did you know, to be compliant with New South Wales legislation each home must have a smoke alarm installed on every floor?

3. Fireplace safety

Using a fireplace in the home is a perfect way to cosy up on a cold winter’s night. When using a fireplace there are a few key tips to remember:

  • Never leave children unattended in a room where there is an open fire.
  • Always use a screen and make sure it is strong and sturdy.
  • Never hang clothing near the fireplace. Keep it 1 meter away at all times.
  • Keep the chimney clean and free of debris.

4. Heaters in the home

As the temperature starts to plummet and we all start feeling a little bit colder, it’s no surprise we turn to appliances such as a heater to keep us warm. But did you know, electrical appliances (and faults) cause almost 40% of house fires? The use of heaters is actually one of the most common causes of fire.

Keep these tips in mind when using a heater:

  • Just like with a fireplace, it’s important to supervise children at all times when using a heater.
  • Keep clothing 1 meter away from a heater, as well as curtains, bedding and other materials.
  • Have a yearly maintenance check done for your heating unit.
  • Do not use portable heaters to dry your clothes.
  • Whenever possible, turn off all heaters when going to bed.

5. Keep fire blankets and extinguishers in reach

In case a fire does happen to break out, having a fire blanket and extinguisher close by will be a great help in putting the fire out. Seeing as 47% of fires start in the kitchen, a good place to keep these items is at the kitchen exit. This will help prevent any cooking fires from spreading.

Keep in mind, there are many different fire extinguishers for different purposes. For example, a water extinguisher wouldn’t be appropriate when putting out a fire to do with an electrical appliance.

Many people would have never used a fire extinguisher before. To remember how to use one, we suggest memorising the acronym PASS.

Pull – Pull the extinguisher pin. (Located at the top of the extinguisher). Test the extinguisher before using it by pressing the handle. Aim it away from yourself and any bystanders. You’ll be able to check its working and how far it sprays.

Aim – Aim the nozzle at the base of the fire, ensuring you are standing a safe distance away.
Squeeze – Squeeze the handle to release the extinguishing agent. (Release the handle to stop).
Sweep – Sweep the nozzle from left to right, remembering to aim at the base of the fire.Everest Electrical- call 000 in a fire emergency

ALWAYS REMEMBER: If you are not sure that you can put out a kitchen fire (or any other fire), switch off the appliance responsible, leave the area and call 000. In fact, Fire and Rescue NSW urges people to call emergency services on 000 immediately rather than trying to fight fires.

6. Be prepared for a cold snap

There is a bit of home maintenance required when making sure your home is prepared and fire proof! Before a cold snap comes along, tick these items off your to-do list:

  • Check all of the electric blankets in your house for frayed cords or other damage. If you find they are damaged in any way, get rid of them.
  • Clean the lint filter of your clothes dryer. This should be done after every use. If you find it does need to be cleaned, reiterate the message to your family.
  • Make sure plug points are not overloaded with too many appliances.
  • Test all smoke alarms in your home.
  • If you have any matches or lighters in low lying places, move them to where children cannot reach.

Organise an electrical safety inspection

It is best to include a thorough electrical safety inspection as part of your annual preparatory measures for winter. If you live in Sydney’s North Shore or Northern Beaches, Everest Electrical can conduct the inspection and help lower your fire risk.

It is best to include a thorough electrical safety inspection as part of your annual preparatory measures for winter. If you live in Sydney’s North Shore or Northern Beaches, Everest Electrical can conduct the inspection and help lower your fire risk. Call us on 0410 229 139 to schedule an appointment.

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