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 an 81-year-old man were killed in the blaze in Lily Street, last Wednesday, despite the attempts of firefighters and neighbors to rescue them from the heavily secured property.
The cause of the fire remains undetermined.
Residential fires
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," said FRNSW Area Commander, Chief Superintendent - Mick Morris.
Fire safety
"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," concluded Chief Superintendent - Mick Morris.
All residents are able to book a free home safety visit by contacting their local fire station or visiting the FRNSW website. Simple measures undertaken today can help prevent a fire from occurring in their own home and significantly limit the impacts if a fire does break out.
For the elderly and those living with disabilities, these include:
- Ensuring one has working smoke alarms fitted throughout the property, including in bedrooms, to receive the earliest possible notification of a fire occurring
- Having the smoke alarms hardwired and interconnected so they all activate when one is triggered
- Testing the smoke alarms regularly
- Assessing how well one can hear the alarms and, if one can't, considering the use of alarms that 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 the home escape plan regularly to ensure all residents are familiar with it and can safely navigate their way through the home
- Keeping pathways clear and free of any trip hazards
- Keeping keys in the door and window locks, as every second counts
- If one has mobility issues, considering where in the home one sleeps, people 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