Fire and Rescue NSW is urging residents to make sure their homes are fire safe as we start to head into the cooler months.

The waning follows several home fires in Rutherglen and Wahgunyah over the past two months where the Corowa brigade has assisted.
Statistics show a 10 per cent increase in the number of home fires during the cooler months, with more fires in the bedrooms and living rooms due to heaters and electric blankets.
“Don’t put yourself at risk,” Fire and Rescue NSW Corowa Station Commander Lindsay Bush said. “We want to remind people to be careful when using heaters and to keep everything in the house ‘a metre from the heater’.”
There are a number of other simple steps you can take to prepare your home against the risk of fire.
Turn off heaters and electric blankets before leaving home or getting into bed.
Clean lint filters in the clothes dryer before or after each use.
Don’t overload powerboards and keep candles away from curtains and put them out before leaving the room.
Commander Bush said a big one for homeowners to check is servicing their gas heaters.
“These should be serviced every two years at the very minimum,” he said.
“We also want people to inspect their electric blankets and when storing them away, don’t fold them.
“They should also be turned off when people are not in bed, a lot of people leave them on 24/7 but this is a major fire risk.”
There is a home fire safety checklist available at www.fire.nsw.gov.au
Corowa firefighters recently had training on the home fire safety check list and will be implementing the checklist with members of the community, particularly the elderly.
With warmer weather still around and a dry landscape, those lighting fires while camping are being encouraged to follow all the rules and be aware that there’s still a high fire danger.
Back in the home, Commander Bush is also urging residents to ‘keep looking when cooking’ to avoid kitchen fire catastrophes.
Statistics show that kitchen fires account for 45 per cent of all residential fires and 34 per cent of injuries in NSW.
Flames or heat sources being left unattended are the most common cause contributing to kitchen fires.
It can take just three minutes for a fire to take hold, but Commander Bush said it takes just seconds to prevent one.