THIS Sunday marks the ending of daylight saving at 3am, and the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) are reminding all Victorians to also check their smoke alarms when setting the clock back an hour.
With many people gaining an extra hour of sleep this weekend, FRV community safety deputy commissioner, Joshua Fischer said that it was important to ensure safety with an efficient smoke alarm system.
“When you sleep you lose your sense of smell, and smoke will put you into a deeper sleep, rendering you unconscious,” he said.
“Only a working smoke alarm will wake you up and give you time to escape.”
Concerning new data revealed 14 people died in preventable house fires last year, where there were 11 single fatality incidents and one incident that resulted in the deaths of three people.
Discarded smoking materials, lighters and matches were the most frequent cause of the fires, resulting in five incidents and seven deaths.
Dept Commissioner Fischer said every fire fatality was a tragedy.
“This heartbreaking data reveals that in the past year, 14 people’s lives were tragically cut short in incidents that could have been prevented,” he said.
“The best way to protect yourself and your family from fire is by installing smoke alarms in all bedrooms, living areas, hallways and garages and to test that they are working.”
CFA chief officer, Jason Heffernan said it was essential that families are conducting monthly testing of their smoke alarms to keep their loved ones safe.
“The number of fatalities in the last year is very alarming and devastating to know they could have been prevented,” he said.
“In the past 10 years, CFA has responded to more than 13,000 residential fires that have seen more than 330 casualties.
“The best way to keep your family safe is to install interconnected smoke alarms, so that when any alarm activates, all smoke alarms will sound, allowing you to evacuate early.”
The CFA recommends the use of smoke alarms powered by a 10-year lithium battery to ensure their longevity, and for replaceable batteries in a smoke alarm to be changed yearly.
Smoke alarms, including those attached to mains power, should be replaced every 10 years.
To check a smoke alarm, press ‘test’ and wait for the beeping sound, then each month continue to test, vacuum, and dust the alarm to remove any particles that may affect its performance.
For more information on daylight saving, visit timeanddate.com and for more information on smoke alarms visit: bit.ly/3PLnGrO