The east coast of Australia has seen an early start to the 2019 bushfire season with severe smoke haze and poor air quality throughout much of New South Wales and southern Queensland. The Insurance Council of Australia estimates insured losses from the early season bushfires to be over $165 million.
Smoke from these fires has settled over Sydney and Canberra, setting off fire alarms and halting ferry services as famous landmarks disappeared behind some of the worst smoke haze seen in many years.
The smoky conditions affected numerous properties owned and operated by Chubb policyholders. Often smoke detection systems need to be isolated to prevent false alarms and unnecessary system activation but this can lead to increased risk in the event of an actual fire, particularly for unmanned spaces.
If isolation of smoke detection systems is necessary, the following precautions and alternative arrangements can help to significantly reduce the risk:
For further advice on bushfire preparation, safety procedures and current warnings, we recommend reading information by the NSW Rural Fire Service. We also have Bushfire safety tips available on our website.
Chubb has a team of dedicated risk engineers who can assist policyholders in preparing for the bushfire season.
For more information, please contact Risk.Engineering.au@chubb.com
1As of 13 December 2019
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