Daylight savings end this Sunday, and it is time to check your smoke alarms, and ensure your homes are safe and emergency ready.

“Having a working smoke alarm increases the chances of you, your family, and your home surviving a house fire,” Mick Gentleman, Minister for Police and Emergency Services, said. “The last thing anybody wants is to find themselves in a situation that could have been prevented.

“I encourage Canberrans to install or check their smoke alarms regularly. A fire can happen at any time, anywhere.

“Only working smoke alarms save lives. Do your part to ensure you have them in your home.”

ACT Fire & Rescue (ACTF&R) crews all too often see the tragic consequences when homes have no smoke alarms or smoke alarms that don’t work correctly, acting Chief Officer Paul Flynn said.

“In the past five years, our firefighters have attended to 110 house fires in the capital where a fire was not in the designed range of the smoke alarm,” Mr Flynn said. “This number [rose] from 2021 to 2022.

“Working smoke alarms are compulsory in the ACT, and it is important that they are placed in the right locations to be effective. Smoke alarms should be installed as per the manufacturer’s instructions, on or near the ceiling in bedrooms or in the corridor that leads to bedrooms. If you have a multi-level home, smoke alarms must be installed on each level.”

To ensure your smoke alarm is working:

• Check the batteries, power source, and expiry date in your smoke alarm, and change them if required.
• Test your smoke alarm by pressing and holding the test button for at least five seconds until you hear a beeping sound.
• Clean your smoke alarm with a vacuum to remove dust regularly.

The ACT Emergency Services Agency’s website has smoke alarm and home fire-safety educational resources.

For more information on how to keep your home safe and be Emergency Ready, visit www.esa.gov.au.