NOW IS THE TIME TO

To keep bushfire out of the house this summer,

NOW IS THE TIME TO

make and mend, paint and fill.

Houses are rarely destroyed because approaching flames burn the cladding. Ignitions almost always start inside, from ember penetration. Most houses then burn from the inside outwards, frequently starting in the roof/ceiling space, with frame and cladding burning last.

Clean out the roof void! If you don’t have an inspection trapdoor, make one. 

Insulate above and below rafters. 

This is an extremely vital bushfire-protection job.

·        Neither embers nor flame can ignite your house if you have roof sprinklers.

- Have low flow sprinklers. And enough water to run them.

      ·        Embers from a bushfire can’t penetrate roofs if it is of continuous metal sheeting.

·        Embers can’t penetrate corrugated iron roofs if you secure loose sheets & fill nail holes.

·        ·        Sparks and embers can’t penetrate cracks if you fill them with a fire resistant expandable epoxy-type filler.

·        Sparks and embers can’t penetrate vents if you cover them with metal flywire

·        Burning debris can’t ignite cladding if you give it a low non-flammable surround.

·        Embers can’t ignite under the house if it’s a concrete slab.

·        Embers can’t ignite under the house if you enclose a raised sub-floor area

- Metal fly-wire is effective.

·        Neither radiant heat nor embers can crack windows if they’re shuttered or screened with metal fly-wire.

·        Embers can’t ignite floors if they’re slate, tile or brick.

- And they have a hard job starting on quality linoleum.

·        Embers can’t ignite curtains if they’re pure wool or of heavy quality sun-block fabric.

Insulate roof, wall cavity and beneath floor joists with mineral wool, fibreglass batts or aluminium foil laminate.

The Complete Bushfire Safety Book  and 

Essential Bushfire Safety Tips

detail and explain every aspect

Joan Webster OAM is the author of Essential Bushfire Safety Tips, the updated 3^rd edition of which has just been released by CSIRO Publishing, and of The Complete Bushfire Safety Book. In 1990 she received the AFPA Community Service Award for her 'outstanding contribution to fire prevention and protection. In 2010 she received the Order of Australia for her work in raising awareness of bushfire safety. 

The well known standard official bushfire safety advice features of preparing a bushfire plan, actions lists of what to do at various stages of bushfire threat, the personal Survival Kit, protective window shutters special needs of children and the frail; care of pets; holiday safety; safety of precious possessions were all innovations originally devised by Joan and first appeared in her Complete Australian Bushfire Book, 1986. 

This was a groundbreaking book, acclaimed internationally by authorities and householders alike, it caused a revolution in bushfire safety. Its in-depth analysis of the evacuation dilemma helped shape official policy. Bushfire services used it in the training of their officers. Emergency authorities and government departments throughout Australia still use it as a resource.

Now titled The Complete Bushfire Safety Book, it is still acknowledged as the most authoritative publication of its type and considered the definitive work on bushfire safety for the householder.

Purchase at http://www.randomhouse.com.au/Books/THE-COMPLETE-BUSHFIRE-SAFETY-BOOK/9781740510349/Trade-Paperback/

Purchase its companion ready reference, the just released 3^rd edition of Essential Bushfire Safety Tips at www.publish.csiro.au