Category: Home Fire Safety

Home fire safety tips by Upwey CFA

Categories
Home Fire Safety

PAVS 2025

Prepare Your Property

PAVS - Property Advice Visit Service 2025

Prepare Your Property

Plan, Protect, Survive.

Spring is with us and now is the time to start thinking about how well prepared are you and your property in the event of a bushfire.

Upwey CFA provides Property Advice Visit Service (PAVS), an awareness-raising program delivered by trained brigade members. PAVS is a free service 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 a bushfire

Visit upweycfa.org.au/community-support/ for more information about PAVS and how to book a visit.

See also upweycfa.org.au/prepare-your-property/

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

Categories
Home Fire Safety

Chimney Fire Risk

Clean your chimney annually

Chimney Fire Risk

Reduce Your Chimney Fire Risk.

CFA is encouraging residents to keep themselves safe by checking and maintaining their fireplaces, chimneys, fireboxes and flues.
 
Even though the cooler months are now well upon us, it’s not to late to take action.
 
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.
Clean your chimney annually
Categories
Home Fire Safety Incidents

Heater Fire 2025

Heater fire 1

Heater Fire Incident June 2025

Crews from Upwey CFA recently responded to the report of a heater fire inside a house. The cause of the fire was found to be clothes left to dry close to an electric heater had ignited.

Fortunately the occupants were alerted by a smoke alarm sounding and were able to take quick action to prevent the fire spreading and taking hold of the house. The result was only minor damage inside the house and a lot of smoke throughout which the crews were able to clear.

This incident serves as a timely reminder when drying clothes always keep them at least a metre from the heater and that working smoke alarms save lives.

upweycfa.org.au/a-metre-from-the-heater/

upweycfa.org.au/smoke-alarms/

More about smoke alarms

 

Subscribe to MyCFA to get tailored information on how to plan and prepare for fires if you live, travel or work in Victoria.

Heater fire 1
Heater fire 2
Categories
Home Fire Safety

A Metre From The Heater

A meter from the heater

1 Metre From The Heater

Remember 1 Metre From The Heater

Many house fires are caused by clothes being too close to a heater, especially when left to dry over night.

When drying clothes in front of a heater always remember to keep them “A Metre From The Heater“.

Don’t forget to make sure you regularly test and clean your smoke alarms.  More about smoke alarms.

A meter from the heater
Categories
Fire Awareness & Safety Home Fire Safety

Can I BBQ

Can I BBQ

Can I BBQ Today?

Can I BBQ today?

This short Can I, Can’t I animation provides general information about what you can and cannot do during FDP days and on days of TFB.

Categories
Home Fire Safety

Time To Prepare

Prepare Your Property

Time To Prepare Your Property

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

Categories
Home Fire Safety

Smoke Alarms In Bedrooms

Smoke Alarm In Bedroom

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

Smoke Alarm In Bedroom
Categories
Home Fire Safety

LG Battery Recall Alert

LG Battery Recall 2023

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.
 
LG Battery Recall 2023
Categories
Home Fire Safety

Smoke Alarms For Hearing Impaired

Smoke Alarm Hearing Impaired

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
 
 
Smoke Alarm Hearing Impaired
Categories
Home Fire Safety

Avoid Chimney Fires

Clean your chimney annually

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.
 
Clean your chimney annually