A working smoke alarm helped seven family members escape this Sydney house fire. Photo: FRNSW.
Twenty years ago, smoke alarms became mandatory in all NSW homes. Yet firefighters say almost half the homes damaged or destroyed by fire in NSW last year did not have a working smoke alarm.
A new Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) survey reveals that 31 per cent of NSW residents have either not checked their smoke alarm in the past year – or ever.
FRNSW has turned to blunt language to raise awareness of the vital need for working smoke alarms in the run-up to winter, the busiest time for home fires.
Residents are being urged to “check your BLEEPING smoke alarm” – or call their local fire brigade to organise a free fire safety check and if required, get a new smoke alarm installed.
The call comes ahead of most NSW fire brigades throwing open their doors this Saturday (9 May) from 10 am to 2 pm. Residents can meet their local firefighters, see specialised equipment and fire trucks and learn about how a working smoke alarm can help save lives. Click here to find your closest station.
Acting Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Michael Morris said he hoped the campaign would drive awareness and action.
“We know that beep can be loud and annoying,” he said.
“But that ‘bleeping’ could be the difference between you and your family waking up to a fire or losing a loved one.
“More than half the house fires we’re called to have no working smoke alarm.
“So if it takes some colourful language to improve that frustrating statistic to keep people safe, then it’s worth it.
“If people hear about this campaign and then take the 30 seconds to test their ‘bleeping’ alarm, then that’s a win.”
The recent FRNSW survey found one in four people reported they were not confident about how to test smoke alarms.
It also found 37 per cent of respondents weren’t aware smoke alarms needed to be replaced every 10 years and 45 per cent had no idea that alarms required cleaning every six months.
About half the people surveyed weren’t aware of the free home visits offered by fire brigades.
FRNSW normally receives 600 bookings for home safety visits a month and is hoping to increase that number before winter sets in.
Free home visits can be booked online.
“We now know that when survey respondents were made aware of our free safety visits, more than half of them said they’d consider booking one,” Assistant Commissioner Morris said.
“I encourage people to make that booking to help us increase the number of visits,” he said.
FRNSW data reveals that 44 per cent of the 188 fire fatalities that occurred between 2019 and 2025 happened in winter. Last winter nine people died in residential fires. Most fires started in kitchens or cooking areas (37 per cent) followed by lounge rooms (11 per cent) and bedrooms (seven per cent).
Information on how to protect your home is available in a number of languages. Visit FRNSW for more information.
