South Australia’s fire services are reminding the members of the community to change their smoke alarm batteries as they wind back their clocks by one hour.
Community Engagement Officer for the Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS), Ryan Baohm said changing smoke alarm batteries as daylight saving ended (3 April) was an Australian tradition too important to ignore.
“Statistics show that, on average, more people die nationally in domestic house fires than all the natural disasters like bushfires and flood per year,” Community Engagement Officer Baohm said.
“Nearly half of all significant house fires in South Australia involve homes where smoke alarms had been disabled, or the batteries had gone flat,” he said.
Officer Baohm said the majority of fatalities in house fires were caused by smoke inhalation.
“Getting an early warning from your smoke alarm is critical to your safety,” he said.
“Changing smoke alarm batteries is the best way to give you and your family the earliest opportunity to evacuate safely.
“If you have elderly family or neighbours living alone, offer to help them out by fitting new batteries for them.”
Executive Director of Operations for the South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS), Brett Loughlin said the early warning provided by smoke alarms could easily change the outcome of a house fire.
“Working smoke alarms save lives,” Mr Loughlin said.
“They allow you time to evacuate your home safely and call Triple Zero,” he said.
“This not only saves lives, it also provides firefighters an opportunity to respond earlier and minimise damage to your property.
“For the small cost of new batteries, you’re investing in your family’s safety and protecting your home.”
The Fire Service’s eight-page smoke alarm fact sheet can be accessed at this PS News link.
