Things you can do to protect your property
Burning embers can blow far ahead of the fire front. Many homes catch fire when embers blow into spaces and cracks, gutters and eaves, or set fire to flammable material close to the house.
Simple things to do regularly during bushfire season
• Keep grass short around the property.
• Prune shrubs so they are not too dense.
• Clean gutters.
• Move wood, mulch or any flammable material well away from the house.
Be prepared to move all flammable outside equipment, doormats, furniture etc. either inside or away from the house when a bushfire threatens.
More lasting protection to consider
• Use non-flammable materials such as pebbles or gravel (not woodchips or bark) close to the home.
• Relocate gas bottles away from the fire-prone side of the building and turn gas release valves to face away from the building.
• Timber decks – seal up small gaps and screen larger under-deck areas with non-flammable screens.
• Install metal fly wire mesh on all windows and vents, and install a protective screen to stop embers from getting into air conditioner units.
• Block any gaps under floor, in roof spaces, under eaves, external walls, skylights, around windows and doors, chimneys and wall cladding.
Additional rural property protection
• Locate dams, orchards, vegetable gardens and effluent disposal areas on the fire-prone side of the home.
• Make sure fire trucks can enter and turn around on your property.
• Check bridge and cattle grid load limits for fire truck access.
• Create firebreaks along paddock boundaries.
• Store petrol and gas safely away in a shed.
• Install diesel-powered underground water pumps that lead from dams to the house.
• Create a bare earth firebreak along the boundary of your property.
• If fire threatens, move livestock to a well-grazed or ploughed paddock.
For more information, download the Tasmania Fire Service's Bushfire Safety Guide and Bushfire Plan(PDF, 10MB) and visit the Tasmania Fire Service website.