Last year was a big year of bad things happening from bushfires, floods and of course COVID-19 but there were also to many housefires.
The number of housefires from 2019 to 2020 have dropped but by only a small number and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services are still being kept too busy.
For the entire state of Queensland, 2020 saw a total of 1826 residential structure fire call outs verses 2019’s 1865 call outs.
The South-East region also saw a fall in total number of residential structure fire call outs with 2020 seeing 481 compared to 507 in 2019.
The City of Logan kept up the trend of a lower number with 150 residential structure fire call outs where in 2019 there was 180.
Sadly, lives are still being lost in housefires with 13 lives lost in residential structure fires last year.
A housefire can strike at any time and they can easily be deadly. New Queensland Smoke Alarm Laws were passed in Parliament on the 31st August 2016 and that means there are changes that need to be followed.
The 1st January 2017 all new homes approved for builds needed to comply with the new amended legislation that consists of; A Photoelectric Smoke Alarm in Every Bedroom, in the Hallway of those Bedrooms, on each level of the home at the exit paths and that those Smoke Alarms must be Interconnected, so when One Smoke Alarm is activated, they are all activated, to give each person in the house the earliest possible warning to escape the home in the event of a fire.
From the 1st January 2022, all rental properties must comply with the new amended legislation, so if you are a landlord, you have just under 12 months to have the works completed. Discuss with your real estate property manager or your local electrician to have your property compliant, also from that day, all properties sold must also comply with the same amended legislation.
These changes in the legislation have been made to help save lives. They were created with consultation of Logan House Fire Support Network, QFES and the State Government to give people the best chance to survive a nasty event.
Breakdown of 2020 Residential Structure Fire Call Outs
From the 1st January until 31st December 2020
- 1826 Residential Structure Fire Call Outs across the state of Queensland.
- 481 of those Call Outs in the South East Region.
- 199 Residential Structure Fire Call Outs across Gold Coast.
- 150 Residential Structure Fire Call Outs across Logan.
- 101 Residential Structure Fire Call Outs across Ipswich.
- 12 Residential Structure Fire Call Outs across Lockyer Valley.
- 10 Residential Structure Fire Call Outs across Somerset.
- 9 Residential Structure Fire Call Outs across Scenic Rim.
Thursday’s was the busiest day for Call Outs with 77, followed by Sunday 73, Monday and Saturday with 71 each, Friday 69, Wednesday 62 and Tuesday 58.
43% of the fires started in the Kitchen. 9% started in the Sleeping Area, 8% in the garage, 4% in the Lounge Room and 36% in other areas of the home.
Figures supplied by Logan House Fire Support Network
