As summer days approach it’s time to start to think about fire safety. The first step to take to ensure your family is kept safe is to talk to them and decide what your plan will be in the event of a fire. Trim all overhanging trees and shrubs to minimise the risk of a fire spreading. Keep your grass short by mowing often and remove cuttings.
Be sure to remove any flammable material from around your house such as firewood, old furniture and leaves. Prepare a hose or hoses that can reach around your house. If you live close to grassland or paddocks you can expect the following: grass fires can easily start and spread quickly, grass fires produce a huge amount of heat, grass fires can jump over roads and firebreaks, grass fires can move a lot faster than a bush fire and can catch you off guard.
There are a number of things than can affect a way a fire burns including: a fire travelling uphill will travel faster, for every 10 degrees of a slope a fire can double that in speed, as a fire speeds up it becomes more intense and dangerous. Vegetation such as branches, bark, leaves and twigs are all known as fine fuels as they can all burn very quickly and be blown in the wind.
Weather is a common indicator of fire season with hot, dry windy days making fires more intense and strong winds can send fire in different directions For more information call 1800 679 737 or check out the website for more myfireplan.com.au