HOW CAN YOU PROTECT YOUR FAMILY AND HOME? Hobart is one of the most bushfire-prone cities in Australia. To lower the risk, the City of Hobart reduces flammable materials in our forests through prescribed burns, protects Hobart with fuel breaks, maintains its fire trail network and has a well-trained team of firefighters. The City does everything it can to reduce the bushfire threat to people, houses, business and the natural environment, but needs everyone in the Hobart community to also take steps to keep life and property safe from the threat of fire.
PREPARE FOR BUSHFIRE If you live in or near bushland, it’s important to have a plan to protect yourself and your family from bushfire. When a bushfire approaches, preservation of life must become the priority. It might not always be possible to save your home and all of your belongings. With a plan in place, you can ensure that you and your family survive the fire. This plan should, above all else, give a high priority to leaving early if a bushfire is close by or likely to affect you.
PREPARE YOUR HOUSE AND PROPERTY When preparing your property for bushfire consider all of the materials outside and around your home that could burn. On a hot summer’s day when moisture levels are low many different types of materials will burn. Any embers floating through the air can ignite a fire where they land. The amount and dryness of any potential fuel, such as wood stacks or old tyres, can further increase the chances of a fire igniting. Many Hobart houses are clad in timber and the walls, doors and window frames of houses are very often built with timber. Verandahs, decks and pergolas are also often made of timber. Any flammable material on or near these items can act as kindling, and should be removed. Flaky paint on walls and window sills can also hold embers and old, dry paint can help ignite a fire. 18
Mulch containing chipped bark, shredded plants and trees can also be a fire danger and should not be used close to buildings or any other flammable structures, such as wood piles. Many plants with fine leaves or natural oils in their leaves can be easily ignited by a fire starting in mulch and will burn fiercely. Managing vegetation and other flammable material around your house is very important. If you intend to defend your home from a bushfire, at the very least you should consider creating a ‘defendable space’ around your house. For most urban houses this will be most or possibly all of your outside yard. For rural dwellings it should be a distance of at least 30 metres or even greater where possible. As a minimum you should consider the following: • Grass should be short cropped and maintained, especially during declared fire danger periods. • All leaves and vegetation debris should be removed and checked regularly. • Flammable objects should not be within 10 metres of vulnerable parts of a building. • Plants taller than 10 centimetres should not be grown within 3 metres of a window or glass feature of the building, including in pots. • Shrubs should not be placed under the canopy of trees. • Individual and clumps of shrubs should not exceed 5m2 and must be separated by at least 5 metres. • Trees must not overhang or touch any parts of any building. • There must be a clearance of at least 2 metres between the lowest tree branches and ground level. • Block holes (eg under the house) where embers might land and ignite. • Clean out gutters and look for and remove bird nests in eaves. • Install gutter guards. • Mats made from recycled cloth or coir (coconut fibre) should be removed from decks and PREPARING FOR BUSHFIRE: ACTION PLAN FOR HOBART
