MELTON firefighters are urging residents to ensure their smoke alarms are working, with new figures revealing there were 70 house fires in the area last year.
It comes as the CFA and MFB launch a ‘change your clock, change your battery’ campaign to get residents to change their smoke alarm batteries when daylight saving ends on Sunday.
Of the 70 fires in the city, 13 were in Melton South, 12 were in Melton and 10 in Caroline Springs.
Melton CFA senior station officer Jayson Hirt said not having a working smoke alarm could have horrific outcomes.
“Examples that I’ve seen where smoke detectors aren’t installed have had devastating effects on life and property. That compares to a number of good examples where occupants have been alerted to a fire early from a smoke alarm, giving them the ability to exit and notify the brigade.
“Leading into winter, which is the predominant time for house fires, we encourage all residents to either install or ensure batteries are in working order.”
A recent fire safety survey found 38 per cent of Victorian households had only one smoke alarm installed and 28 per cent at times disconnected them to prevent false alarms. CFA deputy chief officer Steve Warrington said smoke alarms should be located throughout the home, including between each bedroom.
