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How To Prepare Your Home For Bushfire Season

Mike Barlow Earthmoving Pty Ltd • January 27, 2022

Bushfires are becoming an increasingly common occurrence across Australia. Recent years have seen bushfires increase in frequency, partly due to the effects of climate change. The sad reality of this is that bushfires are a scenario that homeowners now need to begin making serious considerations for - especially if you live in an area that is already prone to bushfires. Even if you are not, it's better to be prepared.

Luckily, there are several practical steps that you can take to prepare your home for the next bushfire season. Here's how to prepare your home for bushfire season so you can feel safe in the coming months and years:

Clear the surrounding land

One of the first steps you should do when preparing for bushfire season is to clear the land surrounding your property. Make sure it is free of rubbish and any detritus, such as fallen leaves and twigs. Once you have cleared the land , keep it clear by introducing a regular maintenance schedule.

Repair any roof damage

The next step is to repair any roof damage on your property. This includes replacing any missing tiles and fixing any that have suffered minor repair. This ensures that, in the event of fire hitting the home, the structure is more stable and less likely to collapse in on itself. This protects anyone inside whilst they working on getting out.

Invest in a firebreak

A firebreak is an effective way of slowing down fire as it travels across land. Also commonly referred to as a double track, a firebreak acts as a physical barrier. Firebreaks are installed either in vegetation or in any other material that is combustible. There are also natural instances of firebreaks, which include rivers and lakes.

Fit door and window seals

Some protective measures are simple things that you can do easily in the home itself. One of these is to fit new door and window seals or to fix existing ones. Door and window seals serve an important purpose in the event of a fire. They prevent smoke from entering other rooms and slow down the spread of fire, potentially providing inhabitants with a safe route of escape.

Install a fire sprinkler system

Another step that you can take to prepare your home for bushfire season is to install a fire sprinkler system. If possible, install fire sprinklers both inside your home and on the outside. A popular exterior location for sprinklers is along the guttering. If your house does succumb to bushfire, the fire sprinkler system can be quickly triggered to minimise damage.

Contact Mike Barlow Earthmoving today

If you'd like to invest in the installation of a firebreak or require assistance clearing the land surrounding your property, get in touch with Mike Barlow Earthmoving now. We'll be happy to handle your enquiries and arrange any services to help you prepare for the bushfire season ahead. We can also tell you more about our other services, including dam construction and repair.