Lilydale’s smoke alarm project

•  Lilydale resident Margaret Higgins is presented with a new smoke alarm by firefighter David Munro.

By Taylor Clyne,
October 27, 2021

Local members of the Lilydale Fire Brigade have partnered with the Lilydale Lions Club to push an important live saving message for their community and surrounds.

The Home Fire Safety program is partly in response to increasing fire related fatalities and injuries state wide.

Under the program, headed by local member Jeff Watson, crews will install smoke alarms in the bedrooms of children, the elderly and the disabled living in the Lilydale community.

Brigade Chief David Cleaver said the initiative was made possible thanks to a Bush Fire Fund grant which provided 200 smoke alarms.

“It’s all about early warning, the longer time that people have to evacuate the safer it is,” he said.

Currently under the legalisation it’s not a requirement by law to have a smoke alarm fitted in bedrooms.

“We’re really pleased that more than fifty alarms have already been fitted during stage one of the roll out with stage two being announced last week.

“While our crews are installing the alarm we also undertake a home fire assessment, check existing alarms and fit new batteries if required which has a large flow on for making and living in a safe community,” Mr Cleaver said.

“Jeff has been an absolute champion of this project with most of the members from the brigade and Lions working with him on this.

“Really we hope this is a lead up to eventually having alarms in the homes interconnected so when one alarm goes off, they all do giving people the most amount of time to evacuate.”

Depending on the availability of the alarms, the brigade will consider opening to the wider community after the elderly, disabled and children have been giving the opportunity.

To register your interest, contact 0418 641 560.