Personal safety

One of the scariest things about settling in a new country is the fact that you will not know many people at all, if anyone at all. Being away from your family and friends can give you the feeling of freedom and you may feel that you can do things that you may not normally do at home.

It is very important that you don’t lose focus of your personal safety. Australia is generally a safe place to live and crime rates are low, you must still take the necessary precautions to protect yourself, just like you would in your home country.

Here are a few general tips to help keep you safe

• Never carry large amount of cash on you. EFTPOS is a good alternative to cash and is accepted in most stores.
• Make sure the zipper on your bag or backpack is closed. This will prevent thieves from reaching in and stealing items.
• Avoid walking at night time. If you have to walk somewhere, keep to the well lit areas. If possible, organize someone to meet you at train stations or bus stops and try to walk in a group.
• If going out for the evening, make plans for your trip home. Also make sure you have enough money left for taxi fares or train tickets.
• Be wary of strangers which approach you. Most people are genuine with their request, money for a bus ticket, the time or directions etc. but some people have ulterior motives. Check over your shoulder for people following you, on foot and even in your car.
• Never tell anyone your Personal Identification Number (or PIN) for your bankcard, and when at an ATM, prevent others from seeing you enter your PIN number. Put your cash in your wallet or purse as quickly as possible, and do not count your money in public.
• Don’t accept or offer lifts from strangers.
• Make sure your battery in your mobile phone is charged enough or you have enough change to make an emergency call if necessary. However, 000 calls are free from any phone in Australia.
• If you have an iPod, don’t have the volume up so loud that you cannot hear trouble approaching, either from cars, trains, trams, or strangers approaching when you are on the street.
• Always use the pedestrian crossings at traffic signals, school crossings and pedestrian crossings. Wait for the green light before you walk across the road.

Water safety

In Australia, water sports are very popular, including such activities as swimming, snorkeling, surfing, and waterskiing. There’s nothing like a swim to cool you down on a hot Aussie summer’s day. Stay safe from following these steps.

• When swimming at a public beach, always swim between the yellow and red flags. This area is supervised by surf life savers, and is designated the safest place to swim, avoiding such dangers like rips, undercurrents, rocks, reefs, jellyfish and other hazards.
• If you do ever get caught in a rip, don’t panic. Save your energy and keep your head above water. Raise your arm to indicate to the surf lifesavers that you need assistance.
• Listen to and obey the requests of the lifeguards on the beach. They know what they are doing and their requests will make you safer.
• Don’t swim at beaches that are not supervised by lifeguards.
• If you are swimming in a river, creek or dam, always check the depth of the water first, and check for hazards as logs and rocks. Never dive into a river without checking the water depth first.
• Never swim under the effects of alcohol or illegal drugs.
• If you are on a boat, make sure you always wear a lifejacket, no matter how far away from land you are.
• Remember that water conditions and tides can change rapidly. Just because a beach was safe to swim in the morning doesn’t mean it will be safe in the afternoon.
• Don’t enter any body of water, including rivers, dams, creeks, and even backyard pools without learning how to swim first. Swimming lessons are conducted at local public swimming pools by a certified swimming instructor.

Home safety

Australia is a safe country with a low crime rate, but you still must make preparations to prevent thieves from breaking into your home. Here are some helpful hints on home safety:

• Lock all doors and windows securely especially when you leave your home, and when you are at home, even if you are above street level.
• Don’t leave a spare set of keys outside your house.
• Be careful with the information that you give to strangers. Never have an answering machine message saying you are on holidays or not home.
• Use deadlocks and door chains if you have them. If you don’t have them, ask your landlord to have them installed.
• If your house has an alarm, make sure you use it.
• Prepare an escape route in case you need to quickly evacuate your home in a life threatening situation, such as a house fire.

Fire safety

Smoke alarms

Legislation varies from state to state, but in most places it is compulsory in all homes and units to have smoke alarms installed. Smoke alarms are designed to detect smoke and emit a high-pitched sound to alarm others of the potential fire danger. Smoke alarms can give you enough precious time to evacuate from a burning house. The batteries are the ordinary type you can buy from any local supermarket. It is crucial to check your batteries in your smoke alarm twice a year. If you realize the batteries in your smoke alarm are flat, replace them immediately.


Emergency escape plan

You should work out an escape plan in the event of a fire. The pressure of a fire situation can cause some people to become confused and panic. Be calm and walk as fast as you can towards the nearest exit. Planning an escape route and knowing what to do and where to go in case of this situation arises will save precious time and will help you avoid serious injury or death.

Start by drawing a plan of the house and work out at least two escape routes from each room, maybe a door and a window. The locks on doors,  windows and fly screens will need to be opened in a hurry, so be aware of where your keys are at all times. Make sure that below your window are all clear and no hazards will be in the way if you need to exit via the window. Organize a meeting with all the members of the house to discuss the evacuation plan, and designate an evacuation point outside for all the house members to meet after evacuating from a house fire.

Call 000 after evacuating from your house, either by mobile phone or using a neighbour’s phone. Under any circumstances do not re-enter a burning house. Stay outside and wait for the fire brigade to arrive.

Avoiding house fires

Here are some helpful hints to prevent fires from starting in your house.

• Make sure the batteries in your smoke alarm are regularly checked twice a year. It is suggested that you check your batteries in your alarms the same day you change your clock backwards and forwards at the beginning and end of daylight savings.
• Don’t smoke cigarettes in bed.
• Be careful when drying blankets, towels and clothes in winter. Don’t drape them over the heater to let them dry.
• Don’t leave candles burning without your supervision.
• Keep tea towels, sponges and paper towels away from gas stoves when you are cooking.
• Keep electrical appliances away from water.
• Don’t overload power outlets and adaptors.
• Keep gutters and the ground area of your home clear from fallen leaves, or other debris,. This will prevent bushfires from spreading into your home.