Bushfires are becoming more common in Australia and it is a good idea to be prepared for one so you can save your home from being damaged or in a tragic event burnt to the ground.
If you go through a series of steps your home has a better chance of surviving a bush fire which would be a massive save! A well-prepared home makes things much easier for firefighters should the need arise for them to rush to you aid in the event of a bush fire in your area. Another plus of prepping your home for this form of disaster is that if there is a fire evacuation in your suburb and you cannot leave.
Make sure you follow through with these steps to ensuring your home is prepped for a fire disaster:
- Clear all your gutters of leaves and twigs- these act as fodder for the fire and will simply stoak it.
- Put up metal gutter guards for extra protection.
- Keep a battery-powered radio and batteries in your home so when you lose power you know what’s happening when you lose internet service. Have current and loaded fire extinguisher available.
- Keep a supply of long sleeved clothes available and full-length pants as well as leather boots so you can fend off the fire or embers if you can from your yard.
- If you wet down the areas around the doors and windows with a mop it should help deter the fire. Usually you only do this when a fire is likely but it also helps overall maintenance. If a fire is coming in the direction of your house wet a hessian bag and put it down at the door entrances. Wet hessian bags also help put out spot fires.
- A portable backpack water supply can help you reach areas easily that need dousing out of fire.
- Ready your roof for fire by plugging down pipes and fill the gutters with water. This will help put out anything that may fall on the roof. Spray water on all eves and underlining that is accessible with a hose.
- If a bush fire is coming for your house your best idea is to leave. There are some things you need to do beforehand. Move your cars away from the house. Turn off the main gas supply to the house. Disconnect the barbecue’s gas bottle and move it further away from your house. Close the air conditioning vents and turn the system to recycled air.
- Repair damaged tiles on your rooftop and make sure there are none missing.
- Installing fine metal mesh screens on windows and doors acts as a deterrent to fire away from your wooden doorframes and doors.
- Fit seals around doors and windows to eliminate gaps. Gaps add more oxygen into the room which fuels a fire. Gaps also create an area for the fire to sneak through and reach the interior of your home.
- Enclose the areas under your home. Gaps create a platform for the fire to access your house from underneath and is very dangerous as the fire can come through the floorboards up into the interior of your beloved home.
- Fix or cover gaps in external walls so the fire doesn’t sweep through on to your property.
- Install a sprinkler system on to gutters.
- Move firewood away from your house.
- Keep your lawn mowed and don’t leave tree stumps, debris lying around to feed a potential fire
- Keep long hoses as long as the entire perimeter of your house readily available to put out any fire threats
- If you have a water supply on your property like a pool, water tank or dam put a Static Water Supply (SWS) sign up at your entrance, so firefighters are aware of this. Service genrators and water pumps so you can use them in a fire
- Keep tabs on your insurance and keep your policy updated so that your home is covered should a bushfire strike.
If you do a fire prevention drill it will definitely make matters better at the advent of a fire and may just save your entire home from burning down.
