Bushfire Safety

Friday, November 22, 2013

THERE ARE MANY WAYS

TO PROTECT OURSELVES AND HOMES FROM DESTRUCTION BY BUSHFIRE

There are 3 core options in considering your bushfire safety

To evacuate night before

To stay & defend safely

To stay & shelter safely

There are three core aspects of personal safety

Radiant heat (Protective clothing)

Dehydration (Drinking water)

Smoke inhalation (Nose mask)

PEOPLE HAVE SURVIVED CASTROPHIC FIRES WITH ONLY

A HEAVYWEIGHT PURE WOOL BLANKET AND A WATER FLASK.

There are 3 core needs for protecting your home

Vegetation management

Ember-proofing of buildings

Water

There are three core vulnerable aspects of a garden

Type of vegetation (flammable native, rough & stringy barked)

Undergrowth (remove from beneath trees, near walls, windows)

Placement (separate from the house and from each other)

MODIFY THE VEGETATON AND MODIFY THE DANGER

There are 3 core vulnerable aspects of a house

Roof/Ceiling space (Clear, insulate, plug gaps)

Windows (cover with shutters or metal mesh)

Subfloor (cover with metal mesh)

MODIFY BUILDINGS TO MINIMISE EMBER ENTRY AND OTHER DAMAGE.

There are three core dangers & protective aspects to your safety

Radiant heat (Protective clothing and have a pure wool blanket)

Dehydration (Have drinking water)

Smoke inhalation (Have a nose mask)

ADD TO EACH OF THE ABOVE

Knowledge of what to do, when to do it, and why

BE PLANNED, PREPARED & PRACTICED

Understand that

FLAMES KILL PEOPLE – EMBERS DESTROY HOUSE

Essential Bushfire Safety Tips sets out the benefits and hazards of every option

Endorsed by the CFA

‘An outstanding achievement

and a book that could certainly help to save lives within the community.’

The Complete Bushfire Safety Book - Joan Webster OAM

Acclaimed by fire authorities as the most comprehensive and authoritative book on the subject, has been saving lives and homes over 20 years. Householders have written, ‘Your book has taken the fear out of summer’.
This well-illustrated, easy to read book of 348 pages contains every known bushfire safety factor. Helps you make informed decisions on your safety plan. Includes the first - and still most detailed - analysis and step-by-step understanding of the stay-go dilemma.

Many of the concepts now familiar in official bushfire brochures were originally devised by Joan Webster and published in this book's first edition, in 1986.

‘I commend this book to every Australian. It could save your life’: Phil Cheney, Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO. ‘There is no doubt that anyone who reads this book, and gives due weight to the information it contains, will survive their next bushfire’: The Fireman Journal (CFA). This book ranks with `Bushfires in Australia’ as a most important contribution to bushfire safety’: David Packham OAM, bushfire scientist.