Fire Safety What you can do to prevent a fire in your home

Fire Safety What you can do to prevent a fire in your home

Smoke alarms We take fire safety very seriously. Smoke alarms are devices that are designed to save your life. A smoke alarm has been installed in your home. Each year, your smoke alarm will be checked by a licensed contractor to make sure it s working properly. We ll contact you when your home is due for testing. Please help the contractor by letting them in when they come to do the testing. They will give you identification. You can call us if you have any questions about the contractor. You should test your smoke alarm batteries once a month. You can do this by pressing and holding the test button for at least five seconds, until you hear the beeps. You should also regularly vacuum any dust off your smoke alarm. This helps reduce false alarms and makes sure smoke can easily reach the internal sensor.

For all fire emergencies call 000 000 對於所有火災緊急情況, 請撥打 000 Stay calm and follow your escape plan. On the back page there is information about how to prepare your escape plan. Make sure you are in a safe place, then call triple zero (000) to report the fire. The operator will ask if you need police, fire or ambulance. Say fire. They will connect you to an emergency service operator. This person will ask you for information about the fire and where you are. Speak clearly and answer all their questions. Tell them where you are, including the street number and name and the suburb. What to do in an emergency

Don t hang up until the operator has all the information they need. They may tell you to wait at a meeting point for fire services to arrive. If your home is on fire stay low get out stay out. If your clothes are on fire stop drop cover and roll.

How to prevent a fire in your kitchen Don t let children near the stove or oven while you are cooking. When cooking with pots and pans, turn the handles inwards. This stops them from being knocked over. Clean your grill after each use. You should also clean the range hood filter and all kitchen appliances regularly. Make sure you turn cooking appliances off when you ve finished using them. If you have to leave the kitchen while you re cooking turn off the stove. Never leave your cooking unattended. Don t wear clothes with loose fitting sleeves they might catch fire. Don t keep your tea towels, oven mitts or other flammable items near the stove or oven. How to prevent a fire in your kitchen

Be careful not to leave rubbish or loose items on top of the stove they might catch fire. Heat cooking oil carefully and slowly in the right size saucepan. This will help avoid fat spatters. Don t use water to put out fat or oil fires. It can cause the fire to spread quickly and burn you. Don t carry pans of hot or burning oil through your house. It may help spread the fire and cause serious injuries. If there is a fire in your kitchen and you don t feel confident you can put it out: turn off the appliance leave the house and go to a safe place call triple zero (000).

How to stay safe in winter Prepare a fire escape plan with everyone who lives in your home. Keep your matches and lighters safe in a place where children can t reach them. If you have a fireplace: put a screen in front of it when you use it make sure the chimney is clean and has good air flow. Keep any wet clothes at least one metre away from your fireplace or portable heater. Never leave them unattended. How to stay safe in winter

Always put out any candles or open flames before you go to bed. Handle them with care. If you have a clothes dryer, clean the lint filter every time you use it. Check that your electric blankets are in good condition. They shouldn t have any frayed or damaged cords. Keep your curtains, tablecloths and bedding away from portable heaters. Only plug one appliance into each power point. Switch them off when you re not using them. Don t use outdoor cooking or heating equipment inside your home. If you do, there could be a build up of carbon monoxide in the house which can lead to death.

Using power boards Power boards can cause fires when not used properly. Don t overload your power board. This happens when you plug in too many appliances. Find out how much power each of your appliances needs and what the power board can supply. Fire & Rescue NSW recommends only using power boards that have built in safety switches or surge protectors. Using power boards

Dust can build up in power board points that you aren t using. You can avoid this by turning the power board on its side. Make sure you have good air flow around your power boards. This will stop them from building up heat. Plugs can start to come out, especially if they are under a desk and get knocked by feet. If you have a heavy plug that tips over, it may partially unplug itself. These types of bad connections can make your power board overheat. You can avoid this by regularly checking that plugs are firmly plugged in to the power board. You should also check your power boards, leads and extension cords regularly to make sure they aren t damaged or wearing out.

Escape plan Home fire escape plan How to prepare your escape plan If your home is on fire, your first priority is to get out. Prepare the plan with everyone who lives in your home. Decide on a safe, outdoor meeting place, for example the letterbox. Plan two ways of getting out of every room. Make sure that anyone with disability can also get out. Make sure you can open all windows and screens easily. Practise your escape plan at least twice a year. Make sure everyone you live with is involved. Home fire escape plan

Escape plan steps 1. Help anyone who is in immediate danger. 2. Close the door to each room as you leave. This stops fire and smoke from spreading. 3. If there is smoke, crawl low to stay under it. 4. Go to your meeting place. 5. Once you are out, stay out never go back inside a burning house. 6. When you are safe, call triple zero (000). Example escape plan Decide on a meeting place outside e.g. the letterbox. MEETING PLACE Plan two ways out of a room. Primary Secondary

Your escape plan Draw your escape plan here and share it with everyone in your home. Decide on a meeting place outside e.g. the letterbox. Plan two ways out of a room. Primary Secondary

Need help? If you need an interpreter to help you read this brochure, please call the Translating and Interpreting Service for free on 131 450. Ask them to call Hume Community Housing on (02) 9722 4329. إذا كنت بحاجة إلى مترجم للمساعدة في ھذا الكتیب یرجى الاتصال على الرقم 131450 لخدمات الترجمة المجانیة و اطلب منھم الاتصال مع ھیوم كمیونتي ھاوسنغ على الرقم 97224329 如果您需要口譯員協助本手冊, 請致電 131 450 免費致電翻譯和口譯服務 TIS. 請他們致電 9722 4329 聯繫 Hume Community Housing. Disclaimer This document aims to give you information about fire safety and the steps you can take to prevent a fire in your home. It is a guide only. We ve made every effort to make sure the information is valid and correct. However, we ve put the information together using the resources available to us, including the Fire & Rescue NSW website, and should be treated as such. No rights can be drawn from the information in this document.