|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The NSW Rural Fire Service has an excellent and very informative website with many publications free to download that can help with your preparation.
On this page I have highlighted some of the publications and also provided links direct from here as well as the RFS website. There is very little of my own words in these pages (except these!), as most comes from the RFS website.
Utilise the cooler months to prepare your property and sit down and work out what you should be doing to make your place safer as we all know the fire risk gets greater every year so sometime it will be your turn.
We all make preparations and hope it will never happen but ONE DAY IT WILL. Be realistic.
- www.rfs.nsw.gov.au
- www.sentinel.csiro.au
- www.npws.nsw.gov.au
- www.cfa.vic.gov.au
- www.dse.vic.gov.au
|
|
|
Our desire to live close to nature means that many homes are built in areas that are at risk of bushfire.
There are several elements that increase the bushfire risk to our properties and families, and it pays to assess and attempt to mitigate these risks well in advance.
You are at more risk if you: - are close to bushland or areas with significant ground fuels (bush, scrub, grass etc)
- live in a designated bushfire prone area according to your council’s bushfire prone land map
- live in a general area with a history of fire incidents
- are on top of a slope, such as a ridge or hill - fire runs quickly upslope
- have continuous rows of vegetation on, or leading to your property
- have combustible material near structures, such as bushes/shrubs growing next to homes, woodpiles, rubbish or leaves in gutters
- live on a property with limited access, making it difficult for you and firefighters to get into and exit your property (e.g. one road in and out, or no access around your property)
- have little access to water for firefighting
- are distant from firefighting services
- haven’t prepared your family, house, property and firefighting equipment.
REMEMBER BE PREPARED BE AWARE STAY CALM
Checklist
Is your property prepared against bushfires and grass fires? - Clear ground fuels around the house (long, dry grass, dead leaves and branches, thick undergrowth).
- Reduce fire fuels – take a trip to the tip.
- Plant a combination of fire resistant plants on your property.
- Clear gutters.
- Ember-proof house and sheds.
- Join the Static Water Supply (SWS) Marking System.
- Ensure roofing is firmly fixed.
- Prepare firebreaks (a well watered lawn can act as a firebreak).
- Keep pasture growth down.
- Install screens or shutters and enclose under-floor areas if possible.
- Screen vents into the roof space with fine wire mesh.
- Remove flammable items from around the house, e.g. door mats, woodpile, and
- obvious flammable materials such as paper, boxes, crates, hanging baskets, wooden garden furniture, etc.
- Vent LPG gas tanks away from the house.
- Compile emergency phone list and leave near phone.
Checklist – water supplies and firefighting equipment Prepare your house well in advance for a bushfire by organising sufficient water supplies and fire fighting equipment. - Check water, taps and hoses. Ensure that hoses with metal fittings are long enough to reach all sides of the house when attached to taps.
- Use heavy-duty hoses with wide-spray nozzles, if possible.
- Reserve water supplies from tank, dam, or swimming pool, if possible, since mains water is in high demand during a bushfire. Try to store water during winter months.
- Have a gate valve fitted to your water tank (a 38mm Storz coupling will assist the Rural Fire Brigade).
- Have gate valve handy to fit portable pump as well.
- Regularly check petrol or diesel portable pump, if you have one, to ensure it starts easily.
- Install a sprinkler system in your garden and on roofing, if feasible.
- Gather buckets (preferably metal), mops, spray backpack units, ladders, rakes
- and shovels together in one place for ready access during a fire.
- Make sure you have a battery operated radio and torches in case of electricity failure.
 - see download Sheet 1
 - see download sheet 3
 - click enlarge or see download sheet 5
| Listen to the radio for news of the fire’s progress, rather than calling emergency services for information. | | Organise and pre-pack. | | Dress in protective clothing, drink water frequently. | | Wet-down roof, house and garden, especially on the side of the approaching fire. Turn on sprinkler system, if you have one. | | Stop downpipes and fill gutters with water. | | Fill baths, sinks and buckets with water for extinguishing small fires and for drinking water. | | Bring in hoses so they don't get burnt | | As the fire approaches, go inside and remain inside until the fire has passed. | | Place wet towels and blankets against gaps under doors and windows. | | Close heavy curtains, and shutters, if you have them. | | After the fire has passed and for several hours after the fire front has passed, patrol your property and put out spot fires started by flying embers. | | Check roof cavity frequently for spot fires. |
|
|
