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

You should install a photoelectric 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.