3 December 2012: With summer marking the beginning of one of Australia’s peak fire periods, fire protection specialist Wormald and the Fire Foundation are encouraging householders to consider fire safety and carefully assess potential fire hazards around their homes.
“The Christmas holidays are all about spending time with family and loved ones. However, with plenty of distractions it’s easy to leave a barbecue burner running or forget to turn the Christmas tree lights off before going out,” said Jodee Wyatt of the Fire Foundation. She also says it’s also not uncommon for people to remove batteries from their smoke alarms to power up new toys and electronic devices.
“The Fire Foundation sees the catastrophic effects that fire can have and I am urging everyone to take extra precautions this Christmas and ensure their families, and their homes, are kept fire safe.”
Wormald’s Mark Gowans highlights the importance of having working smoke alarms in place, “If a fire occurs, smoke alarms can provide the precious time needed to escape but there really is no point in having them if they are not in proper working order. Now is a good time to check that you have a sufficient number of smoke alarms in place, replace batteries and check that the alarms are working by pushing the test button.”
To ensure Christmas goes off without a hitch, homeowners should identify potential fire hazards around the home and take the necessary precautions to prevent a fire. Wormald offers the following tips:
Fire protection equipment
- Ensure smoke alarms are installed and in proper working order
- Equip your home with appropriate fire extinguishers and fire blankets and place them in accessible locations
Christmas trees
- Locate Christmas trees a safe distance from any potential fire starting sources such as lamps or electrical sockets
- Keep Christmas trees and decorations away from lights or candle flames
- Source fairy lights from a reliable supplier, and do not overload electrical sockets with excessive
- number of lights or other electrical appliances
Barbecues/outdoors
- Be aware of any fire restrictions that you should be compliant with
- Be sure to keep the barbecue monitored whilst lit. Once finished, turn off the gas cylinder and let the remaining gas in the pipe run through the BBQ before shutting it off
- Always keep lighters and matches away from children
- If a gas leak should occur, shut off the cylinder immediately and allow any gas to dissipate
- Allow hot ashes or coals to cool for 48 hours before removing them
Wormald’s sister company Exelgard offers a range of home fire safety equipment – visit www.exelgard.com.au for details. For information about the Fire Foundation visit www.firefoundation.org.au or call 1300 478 776.