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4. Fire and Rescue NSW focuses on safety of elderly and vulnerable people after house fire tragedy - Wetherill Park

Fire and Rescue NSW focuses on safety of elderly and vulnerable people after house fire tragedy - Wetherill Park

Published: 17 Jul 2023 03:44pm

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) crews have returned to the scene of a fatal house fire at Wetherill Park, in Sydney's south-west, to deliver important fire safety advice to locals impacted by the tragedy.

A 75-year-old woman and a 81-year-old man were killed in the blaze in Lily Street, last Wednesday, despite the attempts of firefighters and neighbours to rescue them from the heavily-secured property.

The cause of the fire remains undetermined.

The couple's deaths brought to six the total number of people killed in residential fires across NSW so far this winter.

Following this incident, FRNSW is especially urging elderly people and those living with disabilities, and their loved ones, to consider how they can protect themselves against fire.

"We can promote safety messages through all sorts of media, but there's nothing more powerful than being in someone's house, with firefighters talking directly with them," FRNSW Area Commander, Chief Superintendent Mick Morris said.

"We're continuing to help them understand fire safety in their own contexts and environments, pointing out the little things they can do around their own homes which make them better prepared and protected against fire."

All residents are able to book a free home safety visit by contacting their local fire station or visiting the FRNSW website: https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/visits [external link]

Simple measures undertaken today can help prevent a fire from occurring in your own home and significantly limit the impacts if a fire does break out.

For the elderly and those living with disabilities, these include:

• Ensuring you have working smoke alarms fitted throughout your property, including in bedrooms, to receive the earliest possible notification of a fire occurring
• Having your smoke alarms hardwired and interconnected so they all activate when one is triggered
• Testing your smoke alarms regularly
• Assessing how well you can hear your alarms and, if you can't, considering the use of alarms which use a strobe light and a portable vibration pad
• Creating a home escape plan which will enable the quickest and safest possible exit from a smoke-filled environment
• Practicing your home escape plan regularly to ensure all residents are familiar with them and can safely navigate their way through the home
• Keeping pathways clear and free of any trip hazards
• Keeping keys in door and window locks as every second counts
• If you have mobility issues, considering where in the home you sleep - you should be in a bedroom on the ground floor (instead of an upper level), near an exit, with mobility aids kept next to the bed

Further information and support can be accessed via the following channels:

• FRNSW website: https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/page.php?id=9284 [external link]
• Collaborating4Inclusion: https://collaborating4inclusion.org/ [external link](including the 'Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness' and 'Disability Inclusive Emergency Planning' resources)
• Ember app: https://emberapp.com.au/ [external link]

EDITOR'S NOTE: Vision of the home safety visits in Wetherill Park, and grabs from FRNSW Chief Superintendent Michael Morris, are available for download here - https://vimeo.com/845783368/539d01ffd6 [external link]

Updated: 17 Jul 2023 03:48pm

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