Be prepared... it’s coming! No, I don’t mean death and taxes. Summer is coming, with the bushfire season. As we have all seen on the news recently with the devastation of bushfires in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere, particularly Hawaii, a number of factors appear to have made the losses worse.
Firstly, citizens not having been prepared; secondly, early warning systems not having been activated and thirdly, the prevailing weather conditions.
Reports that we are getting here now suggest that we may be facing a severe fire season due to heavy undergrowth which has become quite dry due to limited rainfall this year. No matter whether you’re living on a farm or in our larger country towns and villages you must be ready. Do not think that because you’re in a large country town you’ll be safe from bushfires. Fires can be a number of kilometres away and embers can carry on the wind and ignite fires within a town even though not surrounded by bush.
To get prepared, clean out your gutters and any debris from around your house. Also, make sure a hose will reach each part of the house. If the embers are coming, place wet towels into your downpipes, then fill the gutters up with water. Back to our farming friends, these days most farmers have fire-fighting equipment, but the same precautions apply to downpipes and gutters and more specifically, debris around buildings and homes. Many farms accumulate materials around their immediate property which can simply act as fuel for a fire.
If you are in a town or on a property and if things get out of hand, there may be a decision to make about whether you stay or go. If going, make sure you have your important things readily available to take with you. Things such as wills, deeds, birth certificates, and the all important photo albums. If you are in a large town, make sure you know where the authorities recommend gathering in an emergency. Most will have open oval areas or community buildings such as a basketball stadium or school grounds. Be prepared... it’s coming! No, I don’t mean death and taxes. Summer is coming, with the bushfire season. As we have all seen on the news recently with the devastation of bushfires in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere, particularly Hawaii, a number of factors appear to have made the losses worse. Firstly, citizens not having been prepared; secondly, early warning systems not having been activated and thirdly, the prevailing weather conditions. Reports that we are getting here now suggest that we may be facing a severe fire season due to heavy undergrowth which has become quite dry due to limited rainfall this year. No matter whether you’re living on a farm or in our larger country towns and villages you must be ready. Do not think that because you’re in a large country town you’ll be safe from bushfires. Fires can be a number of kilometres away and embers can carry on the wind and ignite fires within a town even though not surrounded by bush. To get prepared, clean out your gutters and any debris from around your house. Also, make sure a hose will reach each part of the house. If the embers are coming, place wet towels into your downpipes, then fill the gutters up with water. Back to our farming friends, these days most farmers have fire-fighting equipment, but the same precautions apply to downpipes and gutters and more specifically, debris around buildings and homes. Many farms accumulate materials around their immediate property which can simply act as fuel for a fire.
If you are in a town or on a property and if things get out of hand, there may be a decision to make about whether you stay or go. If going, make sure you have your important things readily available to take with you. Things such as wills, deeds, birth certificates, and the all important photo albums. If you are in a large town, make sure you know where the authorities recommend gathering in an emergency. Most will have open oval areas or community buildings such as a basketball stadium or school grounds. If you are on a property and decide to stay, make sure you let someone responsible know you are staying and don't wear shorts and singlets to fight fires.
I don't want to seem alarmist in this article, but I have had the experience of fighting fires from Kempsey to Adelong and have seen the results. Let's hope this summer season is a quiet one and that we all end up safe.
John Piper
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