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House fires: stay vigilant warns Council

Latrobe City’s Municipal Fire Prevention Officer, Lance King, has advised residents that fitting and maintaining smoke detectors in the home is vital to prevent the trauma caused by potentially deadly house fires this winter.

By Latrobe City Council - 1st July 2003 - Back to News

Mr King said that in the latest figures received from the Country Fire Authority, one third of structure fires attended by CFA units in the municipality, happened at properties where there were no functional smoke detectors.

"Of these properties, a number had no smoke detectors at all and others had batteries removed," Mr King added.

"It is vital that people understand the importance of these devices. A sleeping person is unable to smell smoke and therefore cannot detect a fire. Smoke alarms are essential early warning systems that help save lives by waking occupants and alerting them to the dangers of fire and smoke," Mr King said.

Latrobe City’s Manager, Building Approvals, Robert Dunlop, reinforced the fact that the Victorian Building Regulations applies to all residential units, motels, hotels, flats, caretakers’ dwellings and houses.

"Regulations stipulate that a self-contained smoke alarm complying with AS 3786-1993 must be installed in each dwelling or sole-occupancy unit in appropriate locations on or near the ceiling of every storey of the dwelling or sole-occupancy unit," Mr Dunlop said.

Mr King said that residents needed to be aware of the common causes of house fires in order to minimise the risk of damage to their own property, or even worse, potential injury to family members.

"Care in the kitchen is essential. A saucepan that is too full, allowing fat or oil to boil over onto a hotplate or burner is a major cause of fires, and always keep a careful eye on the stove or hob when cooking," Mr King explained.

"It’s not just in the kitchen that you need to be vigilant when using equipment. Fires can be triggered by some electrical appliances being left on in any area of the house. If this happens at night, or when the house is unoccupied, the results can be devastating. Always check that you turn off appliances when leaving the house unattended, or when going to bed," Mr King advised.

"During the winter, our heating systems are used much more. Placing furnishings, toys or clothes too close to a heater, either solid fuel or other heating appliance such as an electric radiator, could cause a fire. Ensure that the area surrounding your heat source is kept free from clutter," Mr King said.

"Many fires are caused by children playing with matches. Ensure you keep matches, lighters and other similar objects out of the reach of children. Other potential hazards are smoking in bed, faulty wiring and faulty electrical appliances as well as incorrectly installed flues on wood heaters and stoves. Maintenance, or lack of, is an important factor when it comes to all appliances and heat sources. Get them checked regularly," Mr King continued.

Latrobe City Mayor, Councillor Graeme Middlemiss said that Mr King’s warnings have come at a timely season of the year.

"It’s only natural that in winter we want to keep warm and cosy, but it is essential that we remain vigilant to the risks of using solid fuel heaters or other heating appliances. Keep household appliances well maintained and ensure that your smoke detectors are properly fitted and the batteries are working,’ Cr Middlemiss said.

"It would be useful to prepare a fire plan and you could conduct fire drills for the whole family in order to identify the quickest and safest way out of your home. We must be ever vigilant to the possibility of fires in the home; the majority of house fires are preventable and statistics show that most house fires are caused by human error rather than mechanical failure," Cr Middlemiss concluded.


Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com



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