Alarm alert

By Melissa Meehan
BUILDING Commissioner Tony Arnel has urged Victorian homeowners to ensure that smoke alarms are installed and working.
Mr Arnel’s comments follow the recent tragic deaths in and around Victoria that are believed to have happened in homes that did not have working smoke alarms.
“When smoke alarms are installed and working, the time to detect a fire allows home occupants more time to evacuate,” Mr Arnel said.
“All new homes and apartments are required to have hard-wired smoke alarms.
“Furthermore, Victoria introduced a legal requirement in 1997 that all existing homes and apartments must also have smoke alarms installed.”
Hillcrest Fire Captain Rick Shaw said that it was sad that people were still ignoring the warnings about the importance of smoke alarms in homes.
“I implore people of the Yarra Ranges and in general to have smoke alarms installed in their homes and ensure that batteries are changed at least every six months,” Capt Shaw said.
He described the job of checking that your fire alarm was working as one of the most important things to do and insisted that it made it easier for individuals to protect themselves and their families from fire.
“It takes two seconds to check that the alarm is working and if that ensures the safety of you and your family it’s a worthwhile way to spend that time,” Capt Shaw said.
Mr Arnel highlighted the legal responsibility of homeowners and landlords to install operating smoke alarms.
He said that homeowners can be fined by local councils for failing to have a smoke alarm installed.
But said that the repercussions of not having an operating smoke alarm can be far more severe.
According to Mr Arnel, fires in homes grow quickly and commonly fire deaths occur when smoke alarms are not operable.
“That’s why all Victorians should change their smoke alarm batteries annually.
“Quite simply, a working smoke alarm can mean the difference between life and death,” he said.
The most common causes of house fires are cooking, smoking, burning candles and electrical faults in home products.
House fires are life threatening, particularly at night when people are sleeping because smoke will not normally wake them.
There are other precautions home owners can take to protect them from fires such as ensuring the family has a home escape plan, that clothing, bedding and other hazardous items are away from heaters or other ignition sources and electrical goods, and checking electrical appliances for frayed cords and that power boards and switches are not overloaded.