More house fires mean more safety checks needed

Across Australia during this winter, there have been many house fires. In New South Wales alone, there were 35 house fires on the weekend of 7 and 8 August and three tragic deaths.

Commenting on these recent tragedies and how the electrical industry can assist house occupants, NECA's Chief Executive Officer, James Tinslay, said: “The loss of life and property from recent house fires is disastrous and must be a reminder for residents to ensure their homes are safe.”

NECA is promoting four simple steps that residents can follow that will assist in making their homes safer and help prevent house fires:

1. Have a working smoke alarm. “Smoke alarms do save lives and all residents should have them installed,” Tinslay said. “If your smoke alarm is not hard-wired, changing the battery regularly is critical. Choosing an annual date for your calendar to remind you to change the battery is a simple but effective method to ensure your smoke alarm is always working. If you only have a battery-operated smoke alarm, for extra peace of mind you can have a hard-wired smoke alarm installed by a licensed electrician.”
2. Have a safety switch installed. “Safety switches can detect many electrical faults and shut off the electricity,” Tinslay said. “This can prevent some faults that are the cause of house fires. All new and renovated homes are required to have safety switches installed. However, there are older homes out there that still do not have safety switches and residents should rectify this.”
3. Ensure the electrical wiring is safe. “Many older homes out there have wiring that would not meet today’s legislation or best practice,” Tinslay said. “This is a big problem because the old wiring and circuits were not designed to cater for the increased electrical demands of modern-day homes. Overloading old circuits can cause overheating that can lead to house fires. Residents that are concerned about their old wiring should arrange for their local licensed electrician to conduct an inspection.”
4. Have the insulation inspected. “Residents that are concerned about possible fire and electrical hazards after receiving either foil or non-foil insulation under the failed government insulation scheme should arrange for an inspection,” Tinslay said. “The government safety hotline is 13 17 92 and residents who want an inspection can arrange one with the federal government department responsible for conducting the safety inspections.”