Each winter the Queensland Fire and Rescue service report an increase in house fires all over Queensland. Many of these fires are caused by faulty heaters, misuse of electrical appliances and overcrowding of power boards. The team at Trusted Solar, Air & Electrical have put together some winter home safety tips to keep your house free from the risk of fire this winter.
Electrical Fire Safety
- Regularly check electrical heaters for signs of wear and tear such as worn or fraying cords, rusting and damage to switches or fans.
- If you are purchasing a new heater make sure it switches off automatically if the unit gets tipped over.
- Place heaters away from curtains, tablecloths, furniture, wet area's, drying clothes or any flammable material and well clear of high traffic areas.
- Always turn off heaters when you leave the house or go to sleep.
- Test your Safety Switch regularly, we recommend once a month. It only takes a minute and could save a life. Call a licenced electrician if your safety switch fails to respond to a test.
- Don't overload power points - the heat generated from an overloaded power point or power board can be enough to ignite nearby curtains, bedding or paperwork. If you need more power in an area call in a licenced electrician to install extra power points. If you compare the cost of installing an extra power socket to the cost of replacing all your possessions after a house fire it's pretty cheap really. Use power boards with overload protection.
Fireplaces and wood heaters
- Clean your chimney or flue at least once a year depending on use.
- Keep timber, paper, and other combustibles away, at least a metre from the fire.
- Monitor small children at all times around fires. Install a fire grill or fire guard.
- Completely extinguish the fire before leaving home or going to bed.
Kitchen safety
- Keep an eye on cooking - don't leave the stove top unattended.
- Buy a fire extinguisher and fire blanket and learn out how to use them.
- Check fire alarms and ensure the battery is working well. During winter we often close up windows to keep the house warm, this can mean any little bit of smoke from cooking sets the fire alarm off if it is positioned too close to the kitchen. You may be tempted to pull the battery out of the fire alarm to stop this happening, resist this temptation. Fire alarms don't save lives sitting in the cupboard.
General Winter Fire Safety
The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service have launched a fire safety and awareness program called Safehome. The Safehome initiative is a voluntary program where a local firefighter comes into your home and helps to identify fire and safety hazards. Safehome is a free service available to everyone. It is aimed at reducing the incidence of death, injury and property damage due to fire and accidents. For more information visit www.fire.qld.gov.au.
Trusted Solar, Air & Electrical can carry out an electrical safety check in your home to ensure all your electrical systems are working safely. Our licenced electricians are on hand to carry out any electrical repairs or add electrical power points where needed. Contact our team by calling or complete our request a service form today.