As the colder months begin to be felt across the state, Louie Naumovski from Logan House Fire Support Network is reminding Logan locals to check their fire alarm batteries.
“April 1st [was] state awareness day of changing your batteries in your smoke alarms, with the slogan ‘Don’t be a fool, on April Fool’s Day, change your batteries in your smoke alarms’,” Mr Naumovski said.
“Smoke alarms are of vital importance in the family home, mainly when people go to sleep, obviously all your senses go to sleep as well, which is your taste and your smell, so a working smoke alarm is vitally important to saving peoples’ lives.”
As the temperature begins to drop, Mr Naumovski says locals should be mindful of what appliances have been left on to keep yourself warm.
“Sometimes it could be a heater or an electric blanket, but electric blankets are only there to be used specifically for about 15 to 30 minutes before you get into bed and that’s when you want to turn the blanket off, it’s not to be left on all night.”
Mr Naumovski says the same applies to heaters.
“Make sure your heater is at least one meter away from any furnishings,” he said. “We’ve had people put their clothes on a heater to get warm before getting changed, but we don’t want that happening.”
Another potential fire hazard over the colder months is candles, Mr Naumovski says.
“People want to have candles on in the home especially at night time, but if you leave that room where the candle is, just extinguish it. It is vitally important that we don’t have candles unattended.”
Mr Naumovski says there is one more important fire safety tip he wants to impress on locals, and that is never leaving your stove unattended.
“Lastly, but most importantly, almost 50% of structure fires that do occur is in the kitchen area,” he said. “There’s a fantastic slogan, ‘Don’t stop looking, while you’re cooking’. Do not leave anything on the stove unattended, especially a pan with oil or fat, that’s how fires occur.”
