06/07/2022
Fire safety
About half of all fires in the home start in the kitchen and more than 4 in 10 of all deaths from fire happen during winter.
It is essential to install smoke alarms throughout your home and test them every month. Change the batteries every year, perhaps on a memorable date such as a birthday.
Where possible, make sure you and your family know more than one safe way out of every room in your home. You can write down an escape plan in case you have a fire in the home and practice it regularly.
Make sure children know that if their clothes catch fire, they mustn't run away — this only makes the fire burn hotter and faster. Instead, tell them to:
STOP immediately where they are.
DROP quickly to the ground and cover their face with their hands.
ROLL over and over to put out the flames.
Every state and territory fire authority has resources to help children understand what to do in the case of a fire, such as easy-to-remember advice like "get down low and go, go, go!".
Here are a few tips to keep you and your home fire-safe:
Keep curtains, tablecloths, and bedding away from portable heaters.
Keep wet clothes at least 1m from heaters or fireplaces, and never place clothes or towels on your heater.
Clean the lint filter every time you use a clothes dryer since lint that has built up can catch fire.
Never use your gas oven or stove as a room heater.
Use just 1 appliance per power point and switch them off when you’re not using them. Heaters consume a lot of power and may overload the supply, which can cause a fire.
Never leave burning candles or any open flame unattended.
Store matches and lighters in a safe place, out of reach of young children.
Always keep children away from open heat sources such as fireplaces and gas stoves, and remember that even clothing with a ‘low fire danger’ label can still catch fire.