As Australian weather gets more intense, preparing your home for the event of a natural disaster is more important than ever. Summer days are getting hotter and drier, which means bushfires are more likely to start in places that we’ve never seen before. Below are a few of Eddy Andrews’ tips that will have you and your family prepared for bushfire season.
Start by Inspecting
Put a day aside to do a walkthrough of your home and make note of anything that can be improved or removed. State fire services have checklists and information sheets that can help you with this process. It will help you assess the risk of your property being caught up in a future blaze, make any necessary repairs, and provide advice on how to reduce the likelihood of a fire starting at all – such as clearing gutters.
Clean up your Gutters
It’s extremely important to make sure your gutters are clear of debris. Check that there are no tree branches overhanging your house or excess twigs and leaves blocking up your gutters. This will help to prevent fires from starting near your home if a flame gets close.
Once you’ve had a day to clean up, make sure you don’t leave any piles of branches or leaves lying on the ground – this is an easy way for a fire to start up from an ember. According to Eddy Andrews, this is one of the most important and forgotten tips.
Create a Survival Plan
Create a bushfire survival plan. This should include meeting places where family members can go if they need to leave the house immediately, or if they’re not sure where anyone else is after evacuating their homes. Eddy Andrews says your meeting place should be somewhere that is safe from smoke and ember attacks—ideally somewhere outside of town where access won’t be affected by road closures due to the fires.
Clear access to fire hydrants
In the event of a bushfire, firefighters need to be able to access your property quickly. Make sure there is clear access for them to use the nearest hydrant. If this is not possible, make sure that you have a portable or power pack cylinder in place, so they don’t have to rely on external water sources during an emergency situation.
Remember, if you see a bush fire, call 000 and stay a safe distance away. If the flames are too close to you or your property, don’t forget to action your survival plan.
In the end, there’s no way to avoid the bushfire season. But by taking some simple steps to prepare, you can make sure that your home is safe and ready for anything. Preparing your home for bushfire season is just part of being an Aussie. It’s a time to get together with family and friends and teach your children about safety. Eddy Andrews can help lower the risk of bush fires by aiding businesses and government agencies develop emergency plans and protocols. If you want to find out more, get in touch with Eddy today.