Experts urge people to have a fire safety plan for house fires

Fire safety and state manager at Brooks Australia, Tony Talbot, has warned people to be vigilant at home while most of the focus across the country is on bushfires.

Mr Talbot has more than 30 years experience in the industry and has lived in regional and metropolitan areas.

New statistics show that nearly half (43 per cent) of people in Australia have no fire safety plan.

"House fires are obviously on a different scale to bushfires, but they can both end in tragedy," Mr Talbot said.

"The numbers are a bit concerning with the fire safety planning.

"If you factor children into those numbers, it's probably only about 30 per cent of them who have spoken with their parents about what to do.

"Less than half the homes in New South Wales have a working smoke alarm, which is quite ridiculous.

"It's worth spending a little bit extra money to get one with a 10-year battery.

"It's crazy the amount of money people spend on smartphones instead of a life-saving device like a smoke alarm."

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All people in the home should know the two quickest ways out of every room and how they will exit from upstairs if it's a two-story house.

There should be an agreed meeting place outside, such as the letterbox while a designated person should alert emergency services.

"Preparation is always the key," Mr Talbot said.

"Stick a fire plan with about half-a-dozen dot points on it on the side of the fridge or somewhere it can be seen regularly."

Other helpful hints include making sure smoke alarms are fitted properly and in the right parts of the house.

People should also take extra heading into the summer holidays.

"Christmas brings in another set of threats with all the lights and decorations hanging from the house," Mr Talbot said.

"There can also be a lot more people coming and going from the home at different times.

"We just try and get people to mitigate the dangers where and when they can."

A complete fire and safety checklist can be downloaded at https://www.brooks.com.au/sites/brooks/assets/File/Home%20Fire%20Safety%20Check%20list.pdf.

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