GEELONG’S ranking as second for Victorian house fires in 2011 has prompted a warning to change smoke alarm batteries.
CFA released figures this week showing 124 house fires in City of Greater Geelong for 2011.
Surf Coast Shire had 10 house fires, Borough of Queenscliffe four and Golden Plains Shire two.
Melbourne’s City of Casey had the most house fires in the state at 136. Only two other municipalities scored in three figures.
CFA deputy chief officer Alan Ellis urged residents to use the end of daylight saving on April 1 as a date for checking smoke alarms.
“It only takes 10 minutes to check your smoke alarm batteries and not much longer to talk with your family about what they would do if there was a fire,” Mr Ellis said.
“In the same time it takes to cook a piece of toast a spark can become a life-threatening blaze, so it’s critical for Victorian households to know and be able to implement their home fire escape plan quickly and confidently.”
Mr Ellis said residents without working smoke alarms were four times more likely to die in house fires.
They were also 25 per cent more likely to suffer serious injury and their risk of property loss or damage increased 57 per cent, he said.
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