Targeting Residential Fire Safety

1. Targeting Residential Fire Safety Chris Barber Protecting lives and property cfa.vic.gov.au

2. A Disaster in Slow Motion State of Victoria

3. A Disaster in Slow Motion CFA Area Only

4. Targeting Residential Fire Safety Major Causes of Home Fires • Electrical appliances and wiring (24%) • Unattended cooking (19%) • Heating (12%) • Wood fuelled (8%) • 35% start in the Kitchen • 9% start in the Lounge Room • 9% start in the Bedroom

5. Targeting Residential Fire Safety What are our key residential fire safety messages?

6. Targeting Residential Fire Safety Key messages • More people die in house fires than bushfire • Only working smoke alarms save lives • Change smoke alarm batteries annually • Test smoke alarms monthly • Clean smoke alarms regularly • Smoke alarms should be replaced after 10 years

7. Targeting Residential Fire Safety Key messages • Never leave cooking unattended • Always use a fire screen in front of an open fire • Keep clothing, curtains and toys 1 metre from the heater • Never overload power boards • Clean lint filter on your clothes dryer after each use

8. Targeting Residential Fire Safety Key messages • Plan and practise your home fire escape plan with your family • Get out, stay out and call 000 (triple zero) • Crawl low in smoke • Deadlocks may hinder your escape in an emergency

9. Targeting Residential Fire Safety A fresh look – factors that increase risk of home fire fatality

10. Targeting Residential Fire Safety Environmental Factors • Living alone • Start in the lounge room • No working smoke alarm

11. Targeting Residential Fire Safety Fire Agent • Smoking caused 41% of fatal fires • Portable heaters 12x more likely to be involved in fatal fires than other appliances

12. Targeting Residential Fire Safety Human Factors • Over half of all fatalities tested positive for alcohol • 92% of these greater than BAC 0.10 • Over 70 years of age 12x more likely to die in a house fire • Almost half fatalities were asleep • 85% survivors were awake

13. Targeting Residential Fire Safety Who’s at risk in my area?

14. Targeting Residential Fire Safety Six Major Factors? • One • Two • Three • Four • Five • Six

15. Targeting Residential Fire Safety • Two minutes • List all places you can go to target these risk factors • Ways you can target these risk factors

16. Targeting Residential Fire Safety Questions???? If we have time… Thank You