One in three Queensland households would not know how to respond if their house caught fire, an NRMA Insurance survey has revealed*.
With temperatures dropping, an NRMA Insurance survey has found many Queenslanders appear to be unaware of common fire risks around the home and may not be taking enough precautions.
NRMA Insurance Queensland State Manager Brett Robinson said families were gambling with their safety by not taking the time to develop a fire evacuation plan.
“We see an average of 10 fires a week** in our customer base and most think it will never happen to them,” he said.
Mr Robinson said the NRMA Insurance survey revealed many people were unaware of potential fire risks:
- Nearly 50% of households are not aware plugging more than one appliance into a power point increases the risk of fire;
- Nearly 20% of households don’t check their electric blankets after storing them;
- More than a quarter of households don’t clean their dryer filters regularly.
“Every year, we see too many families across Queensland suffer the pain and loss of a house fire,” explained Mr Robinson.
“Now is the time for Queenslanders to learn more about reducing home fire risks with a free Safehome visit to their home by the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS)”.
NRMA Insurance is proud to sponsor the QFRS Safehome program so more Queensland households can take advantage of this free service.
QFRS and NRMA Insurance urge Queenslanders to reduce the risk of houses fires and be better prepared by requesting a free home safety visit from firefighters by phoning 1300 369 003.
Read more essential fire and home safety tips from NRMA Insurance.
* Statistics are based on research conducted by Woolcott Research of 1000 Australian adults. ** Based on 2005 Insurance Australia Group (IAG) claims data. NRMA Insurance is part of IAG.
