How to protect your home from bushfires

Reducing the possibility of fire that comes with high summer temperatures accompanied by fierce winds is important for all rural households but particularly so for isolated properties. Where help may not be close at hand or where the landscape is so rugged that control of a bushfire is extremely difficult, a little prevention goes a long way. Here are some more tips to help protect your home from bushfires.

In general, flat sites are safer than sloping sites, gently sloping sites are safer than steep slopes, and the bottom of a slope is safer than the top.

• The view from a ridge top may be inviting but fire travels fastest on an uphill run so resist the temptation to build on the highest point of your property.
• Before settling on a building site in a heavily timbered area, check with the local council or bushfire service for advice on such matters as land clearing.

If your property is well forested, a house is best located on the leeward side of the trees, usually the east or south. Preparing a firebreak — the wider the better — is essential.

• A perimeter road is a firebreak which provides access for fire-fighting equipment to difficult areas; a river can be a reassuring firebreak as well as a useful means of access and escape.
• Breaks help control the fire on the ground but a wind makes a fire doubly dangerous.
• It does not have to reach your front door before your house is at risk; embers blown over a long distance are a major cause of new outbreaks.
• Make sure that all buildings have plenty of cleared ground around them.
• Sparks cannot take hold where there is no fuel. They tend to fall within 60 metres (200 feet) of the fire front, although in big fires backed by high winds, spot fires have been recorded starting 10 to 30 kilometres (six to 18 miles) from the front.

Always consider the condition of local roads when buying your land; the further you are from a properly sealed road the longer it will take bushfire services to reach you if the worst happens.