As the air starts to feel cooler, it’s a timely reminder that winter puts you at greater risk of injury from a fire starting in your home.

In NSW, Fire and Rescue responds to 4500 residential fires each year. Half of these fires start in the kitchen, mostly due to unattended cooking.

As well as never leaving your cooking unattended, the things you can do to reduce the risk for you this winter include:

• Testing your smoke alarms;
• Developing and practicing an escape plan;
• Having your fireplaces and chimneys serviced and inspected;
• Checking your heaters are in working order;
• Rolling, never folding, your electric blanket; and
• Checking your wheat bags don’t have any wear and tear.

Residents can download a full winter fire safety checklist from the Fire and Rescue NSW website.

Mayor of Camden, Cr Ashleigh Cagney, encouraged residents to review and complete the checklist to make sure they were ready for the winter season.

“There’s nothing more important than the safety of you and your family,” she said.

“That’s why it’s vital you undertake these checks to your home to reduce your risk. It’s also essential you have an escape plan in place if, heaven forbid, you should need to leave your home in a hurry.

“It’s easy to think ‘it won’t happen to me’, until it does. So please, take fire safety seriously this winter.”

For more information on how you can be fire safe, visit www.fire.nsw.gov.au.