Category: Home Fire Safety

Home fire safety tips by Upwey CFA

Time To Prepare

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 20 September 2024

Time To Prepare Your Property

Prepare Your Property, Protect Your Property.

Spring is with us and that means it’s time to start preparing your property for fire season!

If you live in an area that could be impacted by grass or bushfires, preparing your property is essential to minimising the risk of damage to your property if a fire occurs.

Need some tips and advise on how to prepare your property? Our Property Advise Visit Service (PAVS) is a free service available to local residents that typically involves a 15- 20 minute meeting at your property. You will receive publications, planning templates, information about your local risk and preparing for fire.

For more information about PAVS, see upweycfa.org.au/community-support

More information about preparing your property can be found at
cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/how-to-prepare-your-property

Tags Property Preparation

Home Fire Safety

Smoke Alarms In Bedrooms

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 30 July 2024

Smoke Alarms In Bedroom

Is there a working smoke alarm in your bedroom?

You’ve updated your bedrooms with the latest tech and furniture, but have you considered that the most important item is a smoke alarm?

Some people think the smoke alarm outside their bedroom is enough to alert them to fire. Research has revealed that when a fire starts in a bedroom with doors closed, the smoke alarm outside the bedroom will not activate.

More information about smoke alarms visit www.cfa.vic.gov.au/sleepfiresafe

Tags Smoke Alarms

Home Fire Safety

LG Battery Recall Alert

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 8 June 2024

Urgent LG Battery Recall

Do you own any of these?

An Urgent Electrical Safety Recall has been issued on LG Energy Storage System (ESS) Home Batteries.

Affected Batteries may overheat and catch on fire, which can result in severe property damage, serious injuries or death. Incidents have occured and caused damage to property and injury.

You should urgently check your home batteries serial number via our Serial Number Checker to know whether your product is affected.

If you have previously checked your LG battery, please check it again because the recalls have expanded to include additional models and batteries.

More information visit www.lgessbattery.com/au/recall/serialcheck.lg

Tags LG, Recall

Home Fire Safety

Smoke Alarms For Hearing Impaired

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 31 May 2024

Smoke Alarms for Hearing Impaired

Specialised Smoke Alarms.

An important fire safety message from CFA is “working smoke alarms save lives”.

A working smoke alarm can detect the presence of smoke and alert you by sounding a loud audible alarm.

But what if you are hearing is impaired? Did you know there are specialised smoke alarms available for people who may have difficulty hearing standard smoke alarms and evacuation systems.

The main body of the unit looks like a normal smoke alarm on your ceiling. The other parts are a strobe light (sight) and vibrating pad (tactile) for your bed. In the event of a fire, all alarms will sound, the lights will flash, and the vibrating pad will activate.

If you or someone you know might need a specialised smoke alarm visit cfa.vic.gov.au/smokealarms

Tags Smoke Alarms, Smoke Detector

Home Fire Safety

Avoid Chimney Fires

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 18 May 2024

Clean Your Chimney Annually

Avoid A Chimney Fire In Your Home.

With the cooler months upons us CFA is encouraging residents to keep themselves safe by checking and maintaining their fireplaces, chimneys, fireboxes and flues.

Spending a few minutes to check your chimney could be one of the most important fire safety actions you take this season.

You can easily check for creosote build-up or obstructions by simply using a torch before lighting a fire. Or you can engage a professional chimney sweep to check and clean your chimney for you.

CFA recommends you have your chimney cleaned annually and regularly test your smoke alarms to ensure they are working.

More information visit https://news.cfa.vic.gov.au/…/chimney-check-is-crucial…

Tags Chimney

Home Fire Safety

Daylight Saving 2023 Starts

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 30 September 2023

Daylight Saving Starts 1st October 2023

Daylight Saving Starts 2am Sunday 1st October 2023.

Turn your clocks FORWARD 1 hour.

Upwey CFA encourages you to check all your smoke alarms are in working order when daylight saving STARTS this Sunday. You should also change the battery in all your battery operated smoke alarms.

Three easy steps;

Test all your smoke alarms monthly – press the test button
Dust all your smoke alarms annually
Check &/or change the battery

Learn the Where, Why and What About Smoke Alarms

Tags Day light saving, Smoke Alarms

Home Fire Safety

Daylight Saving 2023 Ends

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 29 March 2023

time change to daylight saving time on white background

Daylight Saving Ending 2023

Daylight Saving ends 3am Sunday 2nd April 2023.

Turn your clocks BACK 1 hour.

Upwey CFA encourages you to check your smoke alarms are in working order when daylight saving ends this Sunday. If you have a battery operated alarm, change the battery also.

Three easy steps;

Test all your smoke alarms monthly – press the test button
Dust all your smoke alarm annually
Check &/or change the battery

Tags Day light saving, Smoke Alarms

Home Fire Safety

1 Metre From The Heater

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 9 August 2022

Keep Clothes 1 Metre From The Heater

During the cooler months many of us dry our clothes in front of the heater.

When doing this, always remember the saying Keep Clothes A Metre From The Heater.

Some advice from CFA
Data from Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) and Country Fire Authority (CFA) reveals Autumn and Winter are the highest risk periods for residential fires in Victoria, due in part to the increased use of home heating.

CFA Acting Chief Officer Garry Cook said home heating includes open fires, wood heaters, fixed electrical or gas-powered appliances, and portable electrical, gas, or kerosene heaters.

“More than 70 per cent of fatal house fires start in bedrooms or lounge rooms,” said A/CO Cook.

When it comes to home heating, FRV and CFA recommends:

Home heating, including flues and chimneys, are regularly cleaned and serviced by a certified technician.
All heating devices are switched off or extinguished before leaving home or going to sleep.
Drying clothes and other items must be kept at least one metre away from all heating.
Children must be supervised near all types of heating. Maintain a safe distance between children and heating.
For portable heating appliances choose models that have automatic safety switches that turn the heater off if tipped over.
Keep portable electric heaters away from wet areas to avoid the possibility of electric shock.
Brick chimneys and gas heaters should be checked before winter to prevent fires and carbon monoxide poisoning.
FRV and CFA recommend smoke alarms should be considered “A Bedroom Essential” and recommend they are installed in every living area and bedroom.

More information visit Winter Chill Brings Increased Home Fire Risk (takes you the CFA web site).

Tags Home Fire Safety

Home Fire Safety

Daylight Saving 2022 Ends

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 25 March 2022

time change to daylight saving time on white background

Daylight Saving Ending 2022

Daylight Saving ends Sunday 3rd April 2022.

Turn your clocks BACK 1 hour

Upwey CFA encourages you to check your smoke alarms are in working order when daylight saving ends this Sunday.

Three easy steps;

Test all your smoke alarms monthly – press the test button
Dust all your smoke alarm annually
Check &/or change the battery

Tags Day light saving, Smoke Alarms

Home Fire Safety

Smoke Alarms Save Lives

Post author By John Blackburn
Post date 6 October 2021

smoke alarm

Smoke Alarms Save Lives

Only Working Smoke Alarms Save Lives

When you‘re asleep you lose your sense of smell. A smoke alarm is your electronic nose. It will alert you if there is smoke from a fire. A small fire can grow to involve an entire room in just two to three minutes. A smoke alarm provides early warning and time to escape.

CFA recommends you have a smoke alarm installed in every living area and bedroom in your home.

Smoke alarms are compulsory in every home.

Since 1 August 1997, Victorian law states that smoke alarms (complying with Australian Standards AS3786) must be installed in all homes, units, flats and townhouses. It is the responsibility of all owners and landlords to install working smoke alarms.

Homes constructed before 1 August 1997 need only standalone, battery powered smoke alarms. Homes constructed after 1 August 1997 must have smoke alarms connected to 240 volt mains power. These smoke alarms must also have a backup battery installed in the smoke alarm in case there is a loss of power.

3 Easy Steps To Maintain Your Smoke Alarm In Working Order.

1. TEST your smoke alarm MONTHLY

Press and hold the test button to check the alarm sounds.

2. DUST your smoke alarm ANNUALLY

Dust the alarm to ensure the vents are not obstructed.

3. CHANGE the battery ANNUALLY

Replace the 9V battery each year. Modern alarms have lithium batteries that can last 10 years.

Click here for more information about the installation and maintenance of smoke alarms

Tags Fire Safety, Home Fire, Smoke Alarms, Smoke Detector