6 Tips for Preparing Your Home for the Fire Season
>> Dec 16, 2011
With summer fast approaching it is time to look at preparing your home for the fire season. This is particularly the case if you live in a rural area, in the bush or have bushland near your home. As well as getting your home ready for the fire season you should also make sure that your fire alarm systems are working properly, so check your smoke alarms and change the batteries regularly.
Remove flammable material
You need to remove all flammable materials from around your home such as petrol and other chemicals. You should also remove piles of wood, newspapers and other materials that will fuel a fire. They should not be stacked up around your house. Move them as far as possible from your home.
Clear the garden
You need to cut down any overhanding branches near your home and clear any long grass and scrub from around your home. If you live in the bush you should have a clear area around your home. Before the fire season arrives you should have a controlled burn and get rid of any dead wood, branches and leaves or put it out with the green waste to be collected by the council.
Tidy up the house
You need to get up on the roof and clear any leaves out of the gutters. Remove any long grass or scrub that is right up against the house.
Smoke alarm
You should have smoke alarms inside your house in case there is a fire during the night. The alarms will detect any smoke and go off, alerting you before you are in danger of being asphyxiated. You should have smoke alarms positioned at either end of your home and they are best outside bedrooms so that everyone will hear the alarm if it goes off during the night. You should inspect your smoke alarms regularly to make sure that they are working properly and you should also change the batteries throughout the year. The way to remember to change the batteries is to coincide it with when you change your clocks at the beginning and end of daylight savings.
Water
If you decide that you are going to stay and defend your home in case there is a fire you need to have an adequate water supply. You will also need a generator that runs on petrol and a proper fire hose, which will be able to deliver water at an adequate strength to put out a fire. It is no good having an electric generator because during a fire the electric will more than likely be cut off. You will either need a tank that is kept full during summer, especially for fighting fires, or you have access to water in a nearby dam.
Plan
Most importantly you need to have a plan. You need to decide whether you are going to stay and defend your property or whether you are going to leave. If you are going to leave you need to know when you are going to leave and make a very definite decision. You should have an emergency supply of things packed and ready to go. If you are going to stay you should have somewhere you can go to escape the fire and you should also have the right protective clothing, such as a woollen jumper, long pants, sturdy boots, a hat, a scarf for around your mouth and gloves. You should have enough bottled water and a first aid kit, a radio, a flash light and spare batteries./image:clipartof.com/
Remove flammable material
You need to remove all flammable materials from around your home such as petrol and other chemicals. You should also remove piles of wood, newspapers and other materials that will fuel a fire. They should not be stacked up around your house. Move them as far as possible from your home.
Clear the garden
You need to cut down any overhanding branches near your home and clear any long grass and scrub from around your home. If you live in the bush you should have a clear area around your home. Before the fire season arrives you should have a controlled burn and get rid of any dead wood, branches and leaves or put it out with the green waste to be collected by the council.
Tidy up the house
You need to get up on the roof and clear any leaves out of the gutters. Remove any long grass or scrub that is right up against the house.
Smoke alarm
You should have smoke alarms inside your house in case there is a fire during the night. The alarms will detect any smoke and go off, alerting you before you are in danger of being asphyxiated. You should have smoke alarms positioned at either end of your home and they are best outside bedrooms so that everyone will hear the alarm if it goes off during the night. You should inspect your smoke alarms regularly to make sure that they are working properly and you should also change the batteries throughout the year. The way to remember to change the batteries is to coincide it with when you change your clocks at the beginning and end of daylight savings.
Water
If you decide that you are going to stay and defend your home in case there is a fire you need to have an adequate water supply. You will also need a generator that runs on petrol and a proper fire hose, which will be able to deliver water at an adequate strength to put out a fire. It is no good having an electric generator because during a fire the electric will more than likely be cut off. You will either need a tank that is kept full during summer, especially for fighting fires, or you have access to water in a nearby dam.
Plan
Most importantly you need to have a plan. You need to decide whether you are going to stay and defend your property or whether you are going to leave. If you are going to leave you need to know when you are going to leave and make a very definite decision. You should have an emergency supply of things packed and ready to go. If you are going to stay you should have somewhere you can go to escape the fire and you should also have the right protective clothing, such as a woollen jumper, long pants, sturdy boots, a hat, a scarf for around your mouth and gloves. You should have enough bottled water and a first aid kit, a radio, a flash light and spare batteries./image:clipartof.com/
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