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Fire Safety re-packaging home fire safety The Fire Service is introducing a national approach to the provision of home fire safety information and resources. Fire Service Director Strategic Development, Bill Butzbach, says one of the organisation’s key priorities is to reduce the incidence and consequences of fire. “We have got to the point where we need to be more strategic about reaching those who are most at risk and influencing their fire-safety behaviours. Firefighters have a vital role to play in this.” He said overseas experience, and our own, shows that getting firefighters into the homes of families, talking to them about escape plans and other fire safety measures, and installing smoke alarms, is the most effective way of influencing people and reducing preventable fires. “We have been installing smoke alarms and providing fire safety advice in people’s homes in various ways and using a variety of administrative support tools for many years. Last year we carried out more than 11,000 visits. This public education work will now be delivered under the new Home Fire Safety Checks brand and it will be done in a much more focused, supported, and coordinated manner.” Home Fire Safety Checks targets only the at-risk groups – particularly Ma - ori and Pacific people, the elderly, young children, and others living in deprived areas. “We have halved the number of people dying in house fires over the past decade. However, people from these at-risk groups are still those most likely to die or be injured in a fire.” The refocused visits will target deprived neighbourhoods. People will 6 Issue No. 60 Image of the new postcard invitation offering a free home fire safety check. be offered free home fire safety checks via a postcard that crews will drop in their letterboxes. Families call an 0800 number answered by Southern Communications Centre to arrange for a firefighter from their local fire station to phone and make a time to visit. The Comcen staff then enter the task into SMS for that station. Crews will carry out the fire safety check, which includes installing one of the new long-life smoke alarms, and provide fire safety advice. A DVD showing firefighters how it all works has been sent to stations along with explanatory information. All resources are ordered online. See the National Notice for a full list of resources available. “The checks are only available to those who have been specifically targeted. Members of the general public who ring the 0800 number will be sent a fire safety leaflet, or directed to our website, to help them set up their own escape plans, position smoke alarms, and improve their home fire safety. Bill believes the improved focus of our home fire safety work will further build on the strong bonds of trust the Fire Service has with New Zealanders.
Moving to long-life smoke alarms Long-life photoelectric smoke alarms are now the alarm of choice for the Fire Service and will be the only alarms we buy and install in homes once supplies of the standard alarms have been used up. The long-life alarms have some huge advantages. They have a minimum 10 years of life and a sealed battery compartment so the battery can’t be removed. They also eliminate the danger, particularly for elderly people, of climbing ladders to replace the batteries. Over the lifetime of the alarm, it will effectively pay for itself as owners don’t need to buy replacement batteries once or twice a year. National Director of Fire Risk Management, Paula Beever, says, “We have been able to switch to long-life photoelectric alarms as a result of negotiating a very competitive contract with the supplier. We will be installing one alarm in Brooklyn Senior Firefighters Joel Fraser (left) and Jason Courtis check out the new long-life smoke alarms. the exit path of each level of the home and staff are asked to encourage people to install other long-life or standard photoelectric alarms as soon as practicable. “The message is that we want to provide a ‘hand up’ to people who are most at risk of a fire, not provide a ‘hand out’. We want to help them understand the dangers of fire so they can take responsibility for protecting their families.” We recommend that people install photoelectric alarms in every bedroom, hallway, and living area on every level of the house. However, we recognise this is not always practical or realistic so our advice to the Fire Safety general public is that at an absolute minimum, they should install a longlife photoelectric alarm in the exit path closest to the bedrooms and add more as soon as they can, she said. Staff and volunteers are also encouraged to promote the installation of long-life photoelectric smoke alarms in their community whenever they have the opportunity. Our national supplier is Newfield Marketing and orders are taken via email through sales@newfield.co.nz Further information on the policy can be found in Fire Risk Management Bulletins 2 and 5 on the Intranet using the Search function. The New Zealand Fire Service Magazine July 2010 7
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