Residents are being urged to complete some simple but potentially life-saving checks around their homes to ensure they and their families remain safe this winter season.
CFA manager community safety for the north east region Darren Viney said smoke alarms, electrical appliances, fireplaces, chimneys and fireboxes were all on the list.
“Having a working smoke alarm is your first line of defence in the event of a fire,” Mr Viney said.
“We know that many fatal fires start at night.
“When we are asleep, we lose our sense of smell, so the smell of the smoke won’t wake you up.”
The warnings come after recent data showed the most fatal fires during the past 10 years started in either people's lounge rooms or bedrooms.
To help prevent this Mr Viney recommended smoke alarms be inside all bedrooms and interconnected, be cleaned regularly, tested often and replaced every 10 years.
CFA District 22, which includes Greater Shepparton, Moira Shire and Strathbogie Shire, recorded nine chimney fires in the past 12 months and 65 during the past five years.
The district also recorded 93 building and contents fires from January 1, this year, until June 5 compared to 111 for the same time last year.
With this in mind Mr Viney said residents should ensure home heating, including fireplaces, flues and chimneys, were regularly cleaned and serviced by a certified technician to help prevent the build up of creosote, a highly flammable tar-like residue.
With people now spending more time at home because of coronavirus restrictions CFA is also reminding people of the dangers surrounding electrical appliances, including hand-held devices and those used around the home, such as cooking appliances and electric blankets.
“Devices such as laptops, smart phones and tablets have the potential to overheator explode, particularly if they are overcharged, igniting flammable materials such as bedding,” Mr Viney said.
“If you have recently set up your home office, ensure it is done safely.
“Check you’re not overloading power-boards or have loose cables.
“Ensure monitors, laptops, televisions and other equipment have a good air flow around them and are not in confined spaces or covered and switch off appliances at the end of the day.”
Mr Viney said there were a number of preventative steps residents could take to stay safe at home, which included not overloading power boards, turning off electrical appliances at the power point when not in use and ensuring electrical cords were not hanging where children could reach them.
He also reminded people to be safe in the kitchen, including never leaving cooking unattended and regularly cleaning the stove and range hood, along with ensuring everyone in the household was aware of the fire escape plan.
“Cooler weather conditions and the winter months are one of the riskiest times of the year for fires in the home and sadly, most of these fires can be prevented,” CFA deputy chief officer Gavin Freeman said.
“One of the nicest things about winter is curling up in front of a warm fire, and with these small tips we can ensure you do this safely.”
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