Fire Season - Tip No 2
A Friend in Need
Get rid of trash and undergrowth around your home
You can decrease your personal risk of having your house catch fire in a runaway wildfire with a few elementary precautions: -
If possible, keep a cleared space or lawn around the building itself.
Make sure that your gutters are free of leaves and trash that might catch fire. In the event of an approaching fire - block the down pipes and try to fill the gutters with water - windblown embers can land in a gutter and ignite your roof timbers. Downpipes can act as flues - venting up fire and sparks. PVC gutters, downpipes and fascia boards, in particular, can burn very fiercely and are strategically placed where this would cause maximum damage.
Remove all uncontrolled undergrowth from your garden - especially alien bushes. Avoid planting large flower bushes or ornamental shrubs close to the house. Succulents such as Aloes are a better bet, as they contain a lot of water and are not easy to ignite.
Clean up piles of fallen leaves regularly.
Trim off the lower branches from trees and shrubs. Try to have reasonable gaps between the tree canopies.
Do not have any creepers clinging to the walls of your house.
Keep stacks of wood and other combustibles away from the house and preferably covered up- never place them against the walls of the house. Try to avoid having wooden fences, gates or trellises attached to the house itself. Fabric canopies over windows are also a risk in a fire situation. All these fire risk items should be thoroughly wetted down, if a fire approaches.
If you have wooden decks or balconies against the house, think about installing an emergency water sprinkler system. Always keep decks free from clutter. In the event of an approaching fire, remove all garden furniture and cushions and wet the deck thoroughly.
Visit the Cape of Fire (COF) website, where you will find more useful advice together with an Australian ”U-tube” film clip, to show you how to make your home more fire safe and there is also a section for assessing your personal fire risk - just click on the following link: -
> > > > GO TO CAPE OF FIRE WEBSITE
Regards
Steve
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