Every home, either owner occupied or a rental, should have the following to either alert you in the event of a fire at home, reduce the risk of fire or to enable a competent person to deal with a fire:
- A Home Fire escape Plan,
- The following equipment:
- A fire extinguisher for small fires,
- A Fire Blanket for cooking oil & fat fires, (DO NOT PUT WATER ON A COOKING OIL OR FAT FIRE).
- A working PHOTOELECTRIC smoke alarm in every bedroom and the lounge room.
When all of the above are installed and checked by a competent person or company to a satisfactory level the home can be classed as fire safe.
WHAT TYPE OF SMOKE ALARM DO YOU HAVE?
There are 2 main types of domestic smoke alarms – IONISATION and PHOTOELECTRIC. What is the difference?
IONISATION – Reacts to fires with lots of flames, this can be a long time after a fire starts.
PHOTOELECTRIC – Reacts to slow, smoulding fires, this is in the early stage of a fire.
All fires begin small and produce lots of smoke, this is when you want your smoke alarm to alert you, not after the fire has been going for some time and filled the house with smoke.
COMPLETE FIRE SAFETY only stock and sell PHOTOELECTRIC Smoke Alarms.
COMPLETE FIRE SAFETY do not sell or recommend IONISATION type smoke alarms.
Here’s why.
Here are 2 tests that show the difference between Ionisation and Photoelectric type smoke alarms.
WHY SHOULD YOU HAVE A SMOKE ALARM?
If you don’t have a working smoke alarm installed in your home, and a fire occurs:
- You are 57 per cent more likely to suffer property loss and damage,
- You are 26 per cent more likely to suffer serious injuries,
- You are four times more likely to die.
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 two to three minutes. A smoke alarm provides early warning and time to escape.
HOME FIRE ESCAPE PLAN – This is possibly the most important plan you’ll ever make.
Design your home fire escape plan to suit your home and talk about it with everybody in the house. If children are involved in planning and practicing an escape plan they are more likely to get out alive in the case of a house fire.
- Make a home fire escape plan and practice at least twice a year.
- Crawl low if caught in smoke.
- Use windows as an alternative means of escape if safe to do so.
- Cover broken glass with a blanket or doona.
- Once out, stay out at a safe meeting place outside your home (e.g. next to your letterbox).
The best fire escape plan is worthless if your escape route is blocked. While deadlocks and security grilles may deter thieves, they can be deadly in a fire.
When you are in the house:
- Leave keys in any deadlock, or on a hook (preferably attached to a chain) close to the door or window, and out of reach of intruders.
- Make sure that window security grilles and screens open readily from the inside.
- Make sure that all windows and doors open easily for all members of your family.
- If you have visitors staying over for the first time, show them your escape plan so they know what to do in a fire emergency. Make sure they know where your Safe Meeting Place is located.
