Finding into death of Audrey Joyce Svikers

Contributing factors

• Cigarette smoking in bed
• Absence of working smoke alarm in home
• Refusal to install smoke alarms despite repeated offers
• Ignition of combustible bedding material by smouldering cigarette
• Living alone and inability to evacuate
• Profound deafness preventing auditory alert to fire
• Bedridden status limiting mobility
• No accessible smoke alarm system designed for deaf occupants

Coroner's recommendations

1. During initial needs assessment, community care providers advise clients that it is mandatory for all homes in Victoria to have a working smoke alarm
2. In homes where community care is to be provided and there is no smoke alarm, installation of a smoke alarm is organised in line with service provision; in homes where smoke alarms are installed, these are checked by the community care provider to ensure they are in working order
3. Community care providers promote regular testing and maintaining of smoke alarms to the client, their family and/or friends or provide assistance for clients to test and maintain smoke alarms if required
4. In homes where the client smokes, community care providers promote the use of high-sided ashtrays or sealed containers to allow for properly discarded smoking materials
5. Consideration of provision of flame retardant bedding to vulnerable elderly residents who smoke and have disabilities that increase fire risk or impede evacuation ability
6. Expansion of government subsidy criteria for smoke alarms designed for deaf individuals to include age-related hearing loss