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Tasmania has one of the highest fire fatality rates per capita in Australia and cigaretes and candles are the number 4 cause of home fires.
Remember to follow the important proceedures listed below as cigarettes, candles and oil burners can all be dangerous fire hazards:
- Do not smoke in bed
- Dampen cigarette butts before putting them in the rubbish
- Use a child resistant lighter
- Butt out in a deep-sided ashtray or metal container filled with sand
- Store matches and lighters out of children’s sight and out of their reach
- Make sure your candles are on properly designed candle holders
- Don’t go to sleep when a candle or oil burner is alight
- Do not put candles or oil burners near windows - be careful, curtains can catch fire easily
- Do not place lit candles where they can be knocked over by children, pets or anyone else
- Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets.
Smoke alarms
Install a smoke alarm in every bedroom
- You should install a smoke alarm in each sleeping area (bedroom) hallway living area and the top of stairways in a multi-level home. Smoke alarms should be supported by a home fire escape plan.
- Test alarms monthly.
- Vacuum dust from alarms every six months.
- Replace batteries once a year. Some alarms have 10 year lithium batteries that do not need replacing every year.
- Mains powered smoke alarms also have back-up batteries - check with the manufacturer if your model has batteries that need to be replaced regularly, or whether it has a re-chargeable battery.
- Young children are likely to sleep through the sound of a smoke alarm, so you must alert them to a fire and help them escape to safety.
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