Fire Safety Tips
1. Home safety needs your constant attention! Stove-top fires can be smothered by a fire blanket and an extinguisher is also useful in the kitchen It’s also a great option to have close by for the outdoor BBQ. Fire protection saves lives!
2. Are you a business owner? Australian standards require Fire testing regimes for Extinguishers, fire hose reels, hydrants and fire blankets every 6 months. Have you had your fire equipment tested lately?
3. When was the last time you considered your outside safety? BBQs should be cleaned regularly and located a minimum of a metre away from combustible materials. BBQ trays containing fats must be cleaned on a regular basis and have a dry chemical powder fire extinguisher within reach at all times in case of fire.
4. Our busy lives mean that Motor Vehicle safety is often overlooked. To assist yourself and others in case of emergencies, carry a small extinguisher and first aid kit at all times. It’s better to be safe than sorry, these simple items could save your property and also save a life.
5. Loving the man cave? Enjoy working in the great Aussie shed? Many sheds contain flammable liquids and oils and these are not always tucked away in safe places. When using Welders, grinders and other power tools make sure you have a fire extinguisher close by? Protecting your man cave is important. Take action and think fire-wise!
6. We know smoke alarms save lives but we also know how tempting it can be to remove the battery of a beeping smoke alarm. Many people don’t realise Smoke alarms have a ten year life and do need to be replaced. Don’t risk it! Today’s quick job can mean peace of mind. It’s worth checking to see if your smoke alarms are working. Rental properties must also be tested yearly by a qualified technician. Working alarms save lives!
7. Testing and tagging of electrical items is certainly no joke. Testing, whether it’s in a workshop, shed, a tradies van or at your workplace. It’s also important to discard failed and worn items. Staying safe means saving lives. So get tagged. Be safe!
8. A fire at work can mean more than perhaps a few days off. You or your work-mates could be badly injured or worse. Even if no one is injured, a serious fire can ruin a business and cost jobs. Around 25% of businesses that suffer a serious fire go out of business as a result. Fire safety is the responsibility of everyone in the workplace. So let’s be fire-wise!
Bushfire Tips
1. You’re at risk of fire this summer if you live near bush, grassland or coastal scrub. You need to understand your risk and know what to do.
2. Talk to your family about the fire risk where you live and make plans for what you’ll do on a hot dry and windy day.
3. Be sure to speak with your local CFS Brigade before the fire season. These members live and work in your community and are the best source of local information.
4. Prepare yourself, your family and your property before summer by understanding your risk, deciding what you are going to do and by packing important items so you can leave with ease before a fire starts.
5. Prepare your property for the fire season by removing firewood, dry leaves and other rubbish from around your home. On hot, dry and windy days, fires can start and spread quickly.
6. If you rely on others for care or support, you need to leave before days where the Fire Danger Rating is Code Red, Extreme or Severe – don’t wait to receive a warning.
7. On hot, dry, windy days, fires can start and spread quickly. If the Fire Danger Rating is Code Red, Extreme or Severe, you’re risking your life if you wait and see what happens.
8. It’s up to you to stay informed. Check the Fire Danger Rating for your area every day over summer and act to protect yourself and your family by leaving early on hot, dry and windy days.
9. Fire Danger Ratings are not a weather forecast – they tell you how dangerous a fire would be if one started. The higher the rating the higher the risk.
10. On high fire risk days, choose the safer option of leaving early and protect yourself and your family. Waiting to see what happens and then leaving late means facing the risk of being trapped or worse.
11. In the event of a fire, leaving late means that a drive that normally takes a few minutes could take hours and you may not be able to get out at all.
12. Warnings are issued when a fire has started and you need to take action. Make sure you are aware of and understand the three levels of warnings and what they mean – Advice, Watch and Act and Emergency.
13. If you hear or see an Advice message it means there is a fire in your local area. You need to get information and monitor conditions.
14. If you hear or see a Watch and Act message fire is heading toward you. Conditions are changing and you need to start taking action now to protect yourself.
15. If you hear or see an Emergency Warning you are in immediate danger and need to act now. You will be impacted by fire.
16. Don’t expect warnings to be issued in any particular order. The first warning you hear about could even be an Emergency Warning.
17. Don’t rely on an official warning to leave. Bushfires can start quickly and threaten homes and lives within minutes
18. Always use more than one source for warnings such as the CFS Facebook or Twitter pages or download the Fire Ready App.
19. Always use more than one source for warnings such as listening to local radio, 1125 on your am dial or 100.3 (Adelaide Hills) 99.7 (South Coast) & 98.7 (Murraylands) on the FM dial, or ring the South Australian Bushfire Information Line on 1300 362 361. If you have a hearing or speech impairment you can contact the South Australian Bushfire Information Line via the National Relay Service on 1800 555 677. Or if you don’t speak English call 131 450 for translated information.
20. Preparing your property before the fire season is the best way to reduce the impact of fire on your home. You should do this even if your plan is to leave early on hot, dry, windy days.
22. Keeping your gutters clean, clearing flammable items from around the property and cutting back branches on trees and shrubs helps reduce the amount of direct flame contact and radiant heat on your house
23. The 10/30 and 10/50 rules exempt landowners from needing a permit to remove vegetation on their property in bushfire-prone areas. Check if these apply in your municipality
24. Check the CFS website to see if the fence line vegetation rule applies in your municipality. This rule determines whether or not you need a permit to clear between yours and a neighbouring property
25. If you’re travelling this summer, check the Fire Danger Rating for your destination before you go and when you arrive, and listen to local radio for warnings and advice while you’re on the road
26. Download the Fire Ready app, and save the South Australian Bushfire Information Line number – 1300 362 361 – into your mobile phone.
27. The CFS Can I Can’t I webpage explains what you legally can and can’t do during the fire danger period and on days of total fire ban. Copies are available from the CFS website, your local brigade or the South Australian Bushfire Information Line.