Be alert about alarms

ONLY working smoke alarms save lives.
This is the message from the Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) and Country Fire Authority (CFA) as they urge people to change smoke alarm batteries when they turn back their clocks at the end of daylight saving on 6 April.
Last year the MFB and CFA recorded more than 3000 fires in Victoria resulting in 19 deaths. MFB assistant chief fire officer Rob Taylor said most of the deaths could have been prevented if the households had working smoke alarms.
“People don’t realise when they are asleep they can’t smell smoke,” he said.
“That’s why smoke alarms are essential to ensure people sleeping in a house wake up and evacuate if a fire breaks out.”
The MFB and CFA recommend residents test smoke alarms monthly, vacuum the unit every six months and replace the battery annually. According to the fire services, one in five Australians will experience a house fire in their lifetime.
House fires are more common in winter when the use of fires, heaters and other electrical equipment is more prevalent.