The Minister for Police and Emergency Services, Simon Corbell, is worried that you’re all going to be too busy getting shickered this Christmas to prepare your properties for bushfires (OK, his exact words were: “Once Christmas day arrives we usually spend most of our time with loved ones, meaning bushfire preparations are not necessarily a high priority.“)
To that end here’s a list of homework he’d like to see completed before you start partying:
- Preparing a household emergency plan. (Household emergency plan worksheets can be downloaded from www.esa.act.gov.au or are available from Canberra Connect on 13 22 81);
- Making the decision to stay and defend property during a bushfire or to go early;
- Removing all leaf and tree matter from gutters and downpipes. Fitting metal leaf guard over gutters if possible.
- Removing all leaf and tree matter from underneath decks;
- Enclosing all open decks and floors if possible with non combustible or metal sheeting to stop fire embers from getting underneath homes; and,
- Removing all combustible material such as tree branches, leaves, winter wood fire stockpiles away from homes to reduce the chances of it catching alight in a bushfire.
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