Away from home fire safety

Fact

Fires can and do occur in unoccupied houses and units while people are away taking a break. Simple precautionary steps before you leave for holidays may prevent a fire, or minimise its impact on you and your home.

How to prepare your home when you are going away on holiday

Fire and Rescue NSW recommends this simple safety checklist to assist in keeping your home safe:

Switching off and disconnecting non-essential electrical appliances and IT equipment will minimise electrical fire risk.
Test your smoke alarms and change batteries if required to ensure full functionality.
Let a neighbour or family friend know of your whereabouts and contact details. Ask them to watch your home and to notify the Fire Services on '000' if they hear your smoke alarms sounding.
Ensure that any electrical items you decide to leave on continuously, or on timer circuits, are in good working order.
If you live in a bushfire prone area prepare your home properly before you leave. Refer to the following guide from the NSW Rural Fire Service [external link].
Ensure that any lights you leave switched on are in a safe location away from combustibles such as curtains and are of a correct wattage to prevent overheating.
Switch off, empty clothes dryers and clean the lint filter before you leave.
Close all internal doors before you leave to help reduce fire spread in the event of a fire.
Extinguish any incense, candles or oil burners.
Take the time to do a thorough final check of your home before you leave.

Holiday Safety Tips

Remember, if driving to your holiday destination make sure you plan to "arrive alive". Stop, Revive ad Survive every two hours
Ensure your holiday destinations have working smoke alarms.
Draw up and practice a fire escape plan for each of your temporary residences. If an evacuation plan is already in place by the hosts, familiarise yourself with it and practice the plan in place.

In an Emergency Call Triple Zero (000)

A collaboration of the Fire and Rescue NSW, NSW Rural Fire Service, ACT Fire Brigade and ACT Rural Fire Service