افحص جهاز إنذار الحريق الخاص بك”: رجال الإطفاء يطلقون مبادرة سلامة جريئة وجديدة

1 May 2026

“Check your BLEEPING smoke alarm”: Firefighters launch bold new safety initiative
Residents urged to book a visit from their local brigade

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) today launched a bold smoke alarm safety initiative, using blunt, attention-grabbing language to raise public awareness ahead of the busiest home fire season of all: Winter.

Today marks 20 years since the installation of these life-saving devices became law in NSW.
Yet smoke alarms are either missing or not working in half the homes firefighters are called to prompting fresh calls for residents to “Check your BLEEPING smoke alarm”.

The initiative coincides with fresh research that suggests 31 per cent of NSW residents have either not checked their smoke alarm in the last year or never checked it at all, and one in four people report that they are not confident about how to test them.

A new FRNSW survey indicates 37 per cent of respondents weren’t aware smoke alarms needed to be replaced every 10 years, and 45 per cent had no idea that alarms require cleaning every six months.

Offering in-person service, firefighters can visit homes to conduct fire safety checks, and if required, install new smoke alarms for free. The survey found around one in two people weren’t even aware the service existed.

FRNSW normally receives 600 bookings for home safety visits a month. This winter, it’s hoping to increase that number. Free home visits can be booked online – https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/visits

Acting Fire and Rescue NSW Commissioner Michael Morris said he hoped the campaign would drive awareness and action.
“We know that beep can be loud and annoying. But that ‘bleeping’ could be the difference between you and your family waking up to a fire or losing a loved one,” Acting Commissioner Morris said.

“More than half the house fires we’re called to have no working smoke alarm. So if it takes some colourful language to improve that frustrating statistic to keep people safe, then it’s worth it,” he said.

“If people hear about this campaign and then take the 30 seconds to test their ‘bleeping’ alarm, then that’s a win,” he added.

“We now know that when survey respondents were made aware of our free safety visits, more than half of them said they’d consider booking one. I encourage people to make that booking to help us increase the number of visits,” he said.

Firefighters today launched the initiative by inspecting a home in the Canterbury Bankstown Local Government Area (LGA), which recorded the most house fires in NSW last winter.

Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib urged everyone to help spread the message, whether they are a community leader or a neighbour.
“Through the NSW Parliament it became a legal requirement to have smoke alarms 20 years ago today, but it’s through the actions of people now that we will make our communities safer,” Minister Dib said.

“Unfortunately, firefighters are still seeing cases where smoke alarms are missing or not working.
“Our firefighters are an integral part of their communities and the in-person safety visits they offer mean that the people who need it most can get help with their smoke alarms.
“A working smoke alarm can save a life. As winter approaches, we can all play our part to keep ourselves, our families and our neighbours safe by checking our smoke alarms.”

FRNSW data reveals of the 44% of the 188 fire fatalities that occurred between 2019 and 2025 happened in winter. Last winter there were 916 residential fires – almost 10 fires a day.

The areas (LGAs) with the greatest number of fire incidents last winter (2025):
* Canterbury Bankstown (47)
* Newcastle (42)
* Cumberland (40)
* Sydney (40)
* Central Coast (40)
* Inner West (33)

B-roll footage of how to test a smoke alarm is available here:
https://vimeo.com/427983325?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

Fresh B-roll footage of NSW firefighters loading boxes of smoke alarms into fire trucks, ready to be installed in NSW homes as part of free home safety visits, can be found here:
https://vimeo.com/1187527218/0ab6f3523b

Translated fact sheets and educational materials can be found here:
https://www.fire.nsw.gov.au/fire-safety/home-fire-safety/translations