9 Things To Do Now To Prepare For Bushfire Season

It is important to know what you will do if there is a bushfire near you. Whether you decide to stay and defend; or leave, a bushfire plan can help keep you and your family safe. If you do this now (before bushfire season), all the hard questions can be answered when you're calm and thinking clearly. 

If you already have a fire plan, review it ASAP and check your gear or go-bag is packed with fresh supplies.

When you're making your plan, here are some additional considerations to add in...

• Write instructions for your neighbour and place them in and easy access place like the box where the bore switch is. (You could also email them to yourself and save them to a fire-plan folder so it's easy to access and send to anyone who may help you in the event of a bushfire and you're not home).
• Plan a backup exit strategy for your home especially if you live in a cul-de-sac - this is where it is especially important to know your neighbours as they may become part of your backup exit strategy if your road becomes blocked.
• Make a separate detailed welfare plan for pets including; capture, caging and transport, relocation destination (pets are not allowed in evacuation centers), supplies such as first aid, leads, and containers for food and water. 

If you don't have a bushfire plan you can create yours now in as little as 15 minutes by clicking here. 

Get your firebreaks booked! - Well this is a no-brainer from our standpoint. Call Cutting Round Corners to book early! We will help you get your firebreaks sorted. We will share and explain your council/shire requirements and help you to be signed off as compliant.

You also need to prune trees on the firebreak to a height of approx. 4m high to ensure adequate access for emergency vehicles to your property.

REMEMBER, PREPARING YOUR FIREBREAKS IS ONLY STEP ONE IN THE COLLECTIVE FIRE PREPARATION PLAN. YOU NEED TO TAKE OTHER STEPS TO REDUCE THE FIRE THREAT. So please read on to ensure you are fully ready this fire season. 

Slash, mow, or whipper snip all long grass and scrub as short as possible or no higher than 50mm. Also, catch and dispose of the clippings where possible or rake them up and remove them as this will reduce fuel load around your property and home. Cutting Round Corners can also help with all your slashing requirements.

It is advisable to prune all low-lying tree limbs to a height of about 2m. This reduces the chances of a ground fire getting up into the tree (or trees) and causing even more high-risk fire problems. If a fire can burn higher in a tree canopy, its chances to spread are increased massively, which increases the risk to homes and buildings with significant ember attack. 

Trees or bushes near buildings should be no taller than 2 metres or cut back to more than 2 metres away.

Consider reducing the density of shrubs by using a hedger and completely removing dead shrubs. 

Clean up fallen leaves, branches, and sticks. These are the perfect fuel for a ground fire and can increase its intensity very quickly.  Without all the extra fuel, the fire can be starved. It also reduces the success of ember attack and spot fires.

Clean gutters, roof, and chimney (if applicable) of all leaf litter, weeds, and debris, also inspect these areas for holes and damage that could potentially allow any spark or ember attack from entering the building/s. Check them again before summer hits - when it dries out.

Clean up rubbish and reduce other flammable materials around the home and buildings. The verge pick-ups have probably ended by now or you might not have got the luxury this year. Often people are deterred from cleaning rubbish because they need to pay to dispose of it. Paying for rubbish disposal is certainly a pain point from time to time but at the risk of increasing fire danger, I feel it’s really an investment in the safety of your home. If you’ve got rubbish, chances are your neighbour does too, so perhaps have a chat and split the cost of a trailer load. This helps you both because the risk to both properties is reduced.

Some general maintenance around your property can be included in your bushfire preparation. For example: 

• Check all of your reticulation is working and make repairs as necessary.
• Check that all gates are clear of any obstructions - ensure they open fully and easily to assist with your evacuation of livestock and or vehicles from your property.
• Test your bore and consider setting up external power such as a generator.  As mentioned previously, write instructions for your neighbour and place them ina safe accessable place. (You could also email them to yourself and save them to a fire-plan folder so it's easy to access and send to anyone who may help you in the event of a bushfire and you're not home).
• If you have a generator, test it and ensure you use new fuel

Introduce yourself to your neighbours. All of them! On every fence line, across the road, and even a few houses over.

And introduce them to your pets too.

Ask them about their fire plan. Tell them about yours. Exchange contact information.

You might even have something that can help them like a trailer, spare float or carry cage for pets.

We are becoming a less social society more and more thanks to technology but the thing is, fire is one scary ass element and if it threatens your home or your community, the last thing you want to be doing is going through that sh#t alone. 

Fire can strike at any time and you might need to ask your neighbours to check on your pets or turn on your sprinklers. You may never get home if your area becomes locked down and the Police and Emergency Services block you from returning home during a fire.

So have the conversation. It's far less scary to have the conversation before you need help.  

Here are some additional ideas that you could also consider for preparing for bushfire season:

• Review your insurance - make sure you have the right cover for your situation.
• Make electronic copies of important documents and email them to yourself or a trusted loved one or legal person
• Consider getting conversion plugs made for your float for different types of trailer plugs so anyone can tow your horse float in an emergency. Leave them inside the door of your float or in an easy location to find.

Have you got some more ideas to share and add to this list? Please leave a comment below.