Preparing Your Property
The following dot points are intended as general guidelines for preparing your property prior to the fire season.
When obtaining a fire permit owners should also understand that it is their responsibility to comply with Local, State and Federal legislation when constructing fire breaks and burning vegetation.
This may involve obtaining advice from your local fire service, fire risk management consultants (to assist owners to assess and manage their particular property related risks) and local council officers.
Before the fire season:
- Display a prominent house number or other identifier
- Make sure fire trucks can get onto your property
- Make sure things that can burn are well away from the house (e.g. garden mulch, wood piles, boxes, garden furniture, cans of fuel, rubbish bins, etc)
- Create low fuel areas with driveways, paths, gravelled areas and lawns close to house
- Remove, cut or mow bushes, grass and weeds around sheds, fences and gates for at least 20 metres from house
- Clear any overhanging branches from roof
- Clean gutters and buy gutter plugs
- Install screens or shutters on all windows and doors
- Protect under floor paces with non-combustible sheeting or mesh
- Make sure that external house timbers have a good coat of paint
- Point LPG cylinder relief valves away from the house
- If you have a water systems, pumps or generator, make sure they are in working order - don't rely on electrical supply
- Make sure your water supply will be sufficient if there is a bushfire
- Buy a battery powered radio to listen to bushfire updates
- Monitor fire information, listen to local ABC Radio
- Drink lots of water
- If on acreage or a farm, move stock to fully grazed areas
- Remove flammable door mats
- Check:
- Generator, petrol pump and sprinklers
- Protective clothing kits
- Fire fighting equipment
- Contact the Department of Community Safety Customer Contact Centre on 1300 369 003 or your local fire station for advice.
- Stay and defend
- Go early
- Bushfire prepared communities
- Bushfire
Last Reviewed June 2009
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