Cigarettes, candles and oil burners

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.