Make fire safety a number one priority this winter

Three minutes is all it can take to lose both your family and home in a house fire, with Tasmania Fire
Service (TFS) and RACT Insurance sending a message to all households to make fire safety a priority
this winter.

RACT Insurance CEO Trent Sayers highlighted new research released by RACT Insurance, which
revealed 53 per cent of Tasmanians don’t have an emergency evacuation plan to follow in case of a
house fire.

“Younger respondents were the worst performers, with 70 per cent of those aged 18-29 and 72 per
cent of those aged 30-39 failing to have an evacuation plan”, Mr Sayers said.

“Insurance claims data from last year’s winter season also revealed a number of claims surrounding
embers from open fire places damaging carpet and wooden floors, as well as a number of cases of
overloaded power points.

“Although many of these incidences thankfully only caused minor damage due to early detection,
they had the potential to cause significant damage or result in loss of life.”

TFS Chief Officer Mike Brown said winter was the busiest time for house fires, but while this was the
case, most fires could be avoided if people took simple precautions.

“There are common danger zones for fire in and around the home, including heaters, the kitchen,
faulty electrical goods and people being careless with cigarettes and candles,” Mr Brown said.

“Tasmanians need to ensure fireplaces have metal fire screens, flammable materials are kept well
away from open flames and open fires are extinguished before bed.

“Portable heaters should also be placed well away from high foot-traffic areas, be turned off when
leaving the house or going to bed and that they have an automatic off function in case they are
knocked over.

“Other areas of house fire concern are electric blankets, overloaded power points, clogged lint filters
in clothes dryers and not having working smoke alarms fitted throughout the house.”

Mr Brown said while there was an increased awareness of the importance of having working smoke
alarms, there were still thousands of Tasmanians who haven’t prepared a home fire escape plan.

“One of the key reasons people lose their lives in house fires is that poisonous smoke kills them in
their sleep. A properly maintained smoke alarm will wake them before thick smoke accumulates,
and enable them to escape safely,” he said.

RACT Insurance in conjunction with the Tasmania Fire Service are urging Tasmanians to be fire safe
this winter and to visit www.fire.tas.gov.au or free-call 1800 000 699 for additional information
about fire safety in the home.

The following should be included in a fire evacuation plan:

• Ensure smoke alarms are working
• Know two safe ways out of every room
• Ensure windows and doors open quickly when required and keys are kept in deadlocked
doors
• Decide on a safe outdoor meeting place, such as the letterbox
• Remember to crawl low if caught in smoke
• Once you are out, stay out.
TFS recommends the following simple fire safety measures:
• Clean and maintain chimneys and heater flues on a yearly basis
• Always use a metal fire screen when using an open fire
• Don’t leave your heater door open
• Keep flammable material at least two metres away from heaters
• Extinguish your open fire before leaving the house or going to bed
• Be careful disposing of heater ash – ashes can take up to five days to cool. Place them in a
metal container, well clear of the house and pour water over them
• Use a portable heater that switches off automatically if knocked over and position away
from heavy foot traffic areas in the home
• Always turn heaters off when going to bed or leaving the house
• Never leave cooking unattended. Turn if off before you turn away
• Install smoke alarms in each sleeping area, hallway and living area
• Never sleep with your electric blanket turned on
• Don’t leave electric blankets on when you are not home
• Check electric blankets for faulty wiring
• Don’t overload power points
• Switch off and unplug appliances when not in use
• Clean dryer lint filters before every use
• Don’t burn candles near flammable materials
• Never smoke in bed.
RACT Insurance CEO Trent Sayers