Firefighters issue winter warning as families flock to open day

Close to 400 people young and old flocked to the Fire and Rescue NSW open day at the Turvey Park station on Saturday.

Just a fortnight out from winter, firefighter were reminding local residents of the increased house fire risks coming into the colder months.

FRNSW Wagga zone commander Daryl Manson said while attendance was likely a little down on previous years due to the bad weather, he was still "very pleased."

"We had a lot of families and kids come along... and were able to promote some of our fire safety messages, show some of the resources we have and more importantly give the [kids] a go of the fire hose and look at the fire trucks," Mr Manson said.

Mr Manson said a highlight every year is "seeing the joy on the kids faces".

"It is very rewarding," he said.

Fire safety could not be more poignant at the present, with the region experiencing three house fires and a school fire occurring in the last fortnight alone.

Mr Manson said there are three key safety messages to get out - the first of which is that everyone ensures they have a working smoke alarm on every level of their house.

He said kitchen fire safety is also another big one, with firefighters handing out free wooden spatulas on the day with the catch cry "Keep looking when cooking" to remind people of the unanticipated dangers associated with that.

Finally, Mr Manson said it is also vital that people have a home safety evacuation plan for everyone in the family and their motto, 'Get out, stay out', reminds people not to go back inside their home if it's on fire.

Turvey Park FRNSW station officer Jeff Edwards also stressed the importance of working smoke alarms.

"The main issue we want to get out is the fact that smoke from fire is very dangerous," Mr Edwards said.

He said carbon monoxide is an "extremely poisonous gas" present in smoke and that people exposed to that have a minimal chance of survival.

But he said smoke detectors can buy people extra time to get out of a house in the event of a fire.

"If a detector goes off it gives you the advantage of extra 30-40 seconds maybe longer to raise yourself, get the family and get out," he said.

Mr Edwards said its important to ensure heating there is a one-metre space around any heater inside.

"The radiant heat can cause the clothes to catch fire," he said.

Mr Edwards also stressed the importance of having a fire safety evacuation plan.

He said it's important to know how you will get out of your house and recommended leaving keys in locked doors.