Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) deliver an annual integrated communications and engagement strategy to raise awareness of the potential fire dangers during the winter period, with a focus on the appropriate installation of smoke alarms within the home.
The "Bedroom Essential" smoke alarm campaign, now in its third year, centres on home improvement and lifestyle trends, urging people to consider smoke alarms as a low-cost essential item that no bedroom is complete without. Statistics show that fires in sleeping areas, particularly bedrooms, are more likely to end in fatalities.
The campaign paid components will focus on parents who manage household decisions and homeowners between the ages of 30 and 50.
What are Victoria’s fire services encouraging?
CFA and FRV are encouraging Victorians to go beyond the legal requirements and install smoke alarms in all bedrooms and living areas.
The majority of fatal house fires start in bedrooms. Statistics also show that children do not reliably wake up to the sound of a smoke alarm. Victorians are also not aware that if a smoke alarm is outside the room of fire origin, there will be a significant delay in it sounding if the connecting doorways are closed. You also cannot smell smoke while you are asleep and so, without a smoke alarm in your bedroom, you are at much greater risk of experiencing serious burns, injury or death.
Victorian Fire Services strongly recommend installing smoke alarms in all bedrooms and living areas, and to increase your chances of detecting a fire sooner and safely escaping, go one step further and install interconnected smoke alarms so that when one alarm sounds, they all sound.
How you can help
We want to make sure that all Victorians understand the importance of working smoke alarms in saving lives, with a special emphasis on placing additional smoke alarms in bedrooms.
This stakeholder kit contains resources you can share with your community and networks. In doing so you will be helping to improve your communities’ safety.
Further information can be found on A smoke alarm is a bedroom essential page.
Key messages
Primary key messages
- Make a smoke alarm your next bedroom essential.
- Fires that start when you are sleeping are the ones most likely to kill.
- These bedroom essentials won’t save your life, but a smoke alarm installed in your bedroom can.
- Many fires that result in death start at night. Is there a working smoke alarm in your bedroom?
- Most fire related deaths are from fires in the bedroom. Do you have a working smoke alarm?
- Victorian fire services recommend that additional smoke alarms be installed in every bedroom and living area.
Supplementary messages
- Victorian fire services recommend smoke alarms are powered by a 10-year long life battery.
- Smoke alarm units, including those attached to mains power, should be replaced at minimum every 10 years.
- Replaceable 9-volt batteries in a smoke alarm need to be changed yearly.
- Smoke alarms should be installed on the ceiling at least 30cm from the wall, or where installed on the wall at least 30cm from the ceiling to avoid dead air space.
- Smoke alarms should be tested monthly as per the manufacturer’s guide, by pressing the test button on the alarm and waiting for the test alarm to sound.
- Smoke alarms should be interconnected so that when any alarm activates, all smoke alarms will sound.
- Smoke alarms should be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner or dusted at least once a year to remove particles that will affect smoke alarm performance.
Resources
The following pages include a variety of resources and materials you can use, share and publish to help raise the awareness of your community and networks about the importance of working smoke alarms.
When sharing these materials, please do not change any copy and only use materials for their stated purpose. Please feel free to contact CFA or FRV with any questions you may have about sharing materials.
Social media assets and copy
The below social media collateral is available for you to share on your channels.
EDM and newsletter copy
The below copy can be used in your e-newsletters to your clients, along with any of the creative assets on this page.
Install additional smoke alarms in your home
Victoria’s Fire Authorities want to see a smoke alarm in every bedroom in in the state. And they’re looking to (enter organisation) for help in making that happen.
Research shows that most house fires start in bedrooms. That’s because fire risk is greatest when people are sleeping. Without a working smoke alarm, people simply do not wake up. Sense of smell is diminished, and smoke puts us into a deeper sleep.
Given that, it’s a disturbing statistic that only 15% of Victorians have a smoke alarm in any bedroom. And with a closed door between the fire and the nearest smoke alarm, its often too late before the alarm is raised.
As a result, the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) are advising all Victorians to install smoke alarms in their bedrooms, living rooms, and hallways.
Make sure you test your smoke alarms monthly, replace 9-volt batteries every year and replace smoke alarm units every 10 years. CFA and FRV recommend you install smoke alarms powered by 10-year lithium batteries.
Learn more about how you can protect your family: https://www.vic.gov.au/smoke-alarms
Video
This 15-second English language video clip highlights the importance of having smoke alarms installed in every bedroom. These videos can be played in waiting rooms, foyers, lifts and other areas with digital screens, or shared at community events.
Flyers
These files can be printed and distributed at community events that you attend. These can also be used as images or attachments in newsletters and other publications.
You can find general home fire safety messages and assets on the CFA website.
Additional Resources
- Where smoke alarms are required by law: Installation and Maintenance | CFA (Country Fire Authority)
- Home Fire Safety Communications Kit | CFA (Country Fire Authority)
- Renters and landlords: Smoke alarms and fire safety - Consumer Affairs Victoria
- Fire Safety in other languages | CFA (Country Fire Authority)
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