Preparing Your Own Property for Bushfire Season
Reducing the risks associated with bushfires relies on many integrated and complementary activities. While the fire services and public land managers like Council will do what they can to manage bushfire risk across the broader landscape, there are many things that residents can and must do to contribute to effective risk reduction. As such, one of the most important aspects of a bush fire risk management strategy is a well prepared community, whose homes are well maintained and have an adequate asset protection zone.
Results of scientific studies conducted by the CSIRO and the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre have shown that ember attack (embers blown by the wind) is responsible for the majority of damage to or loss of houses during bush fires. You can minimise the effect that ember attack will have on your home by undertaking a few simple tasks. These include:
- Regular cleaning of gutters to prevent a build up of leaves and sticks
- Removal of flammable materials such as woodpiles, leaf litter, dead/dry plants and grass from around your home
- Fitting wire mesh screens to windows, doors and any other gaps or vents
- Enclosing spaces where embers could enter the structure of your home such as underfloor areas and under eaves
Implementing these simple measures will reduce the probability that embers will settle on and ignite either your home or materials adjacent to it.
Creating an asset protection zone around your home will also reduce the chances of the fire front actually reaching your house (direct flame contact) and will reduce the effects of radiant heat. An asset protection zone is an area of ground that has been cleared and maintained to minimise the amount of fuel available to a fire. When a fire approaches a well-maintained asset protection zone, it runs out of fuel and the intensity of the fire diminishes. In some cases a fire may even self extinguish.
An asset protection zone needs to be suited to both the vegetation surrounding your property and the aspect and slope of the land. An asset protection zone should not be cleared to bare earth, but it should aim to reduce the amount of fuel available to a fire through the removal of dense shrubs, excessive grass growth and 'fine fuels' such as fallen leaves and sticks.
Residents wishing to remove native vegetation for bushfire hazard reduction purposes should obtain a Bushfire Hazard Reduction Certificate. Applying for a Bushfire Hazard Reduction Certificate is free and easy, and means that any clearing work approved is legal, has strategic benefits and is consistent with broader land use policies. See the link on the menu to the left about how to apply for a Bushfire Hazard Reduction Certificate.
Further information regarding preparation of your property can be obtained from the Blue Mountains District Office of the NSW Rural Fire Service (02) 4784 7444, from the RFS website (www.rfs.nsw.gov.au) or from Council's fire management staff.