It is the end of daylight savings, so time to check your smoke alarms.
Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Mick Gentleman said that now is the perfect time for the community to ensure their homes are safe and emergency ready.
"Having a working smoke alarm increases the chances of you, your family and your home surviving a house fire. The last thing anybody wants is to find themselves in a situation that could have been prevented," the Minister said.
"I encourage Canberrans to install or check their smoke alarms regularly. A fire can happen at any time, anywhere and it is our role as a community to ensure we have our homes safe and emergency ready."
"Only working smoke alarms save lives, do your part to ensure you have them in your home," the Minister said.
ACT Fire & Rescue (ACTF&R) A/g Chief Officer Paul Flynn said all too often they see the tragic consequences that homes with no smoke alarms or smoke alarms that don't work correctly can have on families and their homes.
"In the past five years our firefighters have attended to 110 house fires in the capital where a fire was not in the designed range of the smoke alarm, with this number rising from 2021 to 2022," A/g Chief Officer Flynn said.
"Working smoke alarms are compulsory in the ACT and it is important that they are placed in the right locations to be effective. Smoke alarms should be installed as per the manufacturer's instructions, on or near the ceiling in bedrooms or in the corridor that leads to bedrooms. If you have a multi-level home, smoke alarms must be installed on each level."
To ensure your smoke alarm is working, Canberrans are encouraged to:
- Check the batteries, power source and expiry date in your smoke alarm and change them if required
- Test your smoke alarm by pressing and holding the test button for at least five seconds until you hear a beeping sound.
- Clean your smoke alarm with a vacuum to remove dust regularly
The ACT Emergency Services Agency's website has a range of smoke alarm and home fire-safety resources available to further educate you and your families.
