Check you have sufficient
personal protective clothing and fire-fighting
equipment.
The safest place to be is away from any fire. Survival and
safety depend on the decisions you make ahead of time. On days when
the fire danger rating is catastrophic leaving early is the safest
option for you and your family.
If your plan is to stay, you need at least the following
fire-fighting equipment and protective clothing. A fire-fighting
knapsack is regarded as the most important item for dousing smaller
fires or for mop-up work.
A knapsack is made up of a backpack-mounted tank, generally
manufactured of polythene, containing around 16 litres of water.
Water is sprayed onto the fire using a high pressure, double-action
underarm pump normally constructed from brass. It is fitted with a
fully adjustable nozzle with a straight or spray jet.
Do you have fire extinguishers, full-length cotton or wool
clothing, numerous water buckets, wet towels, bushfire boots, and
protective gloves?
Relocate flammable items and
fluids away from your home.
Store flammable materials and toxic materials at least 30 metres
downwind of other buildings, especially the home. Store flammable
items such as paint, woodpiles, petrol, cardboard boxes and paper,
and petrol away from non-flammable items. For large quantities of
flammable fuel consider the use of elevated fuel storage or
underground tanks.
If you have LPG cylinders for gas supply, turn off the LPG
cylinder at the valve on top by turning the valve in the direction
of the arrows. Leave the cylinder where installed in an upright
position, with relief valves directed away from the house. Clear
any combustible material from around your gas cylinders and remove
any gas cylinders attached to wooden structures such as
barbecues.
Know where and how to turn off
mains power, water, gas and solar power.
To enable fast action in an emergency, draw a map of your
property and clearly mark the location of your electrical
switchboard, natural gas connection or tanks, water supply, and
solar inverter, and keep this with your Household Emergency
Plan.
Remember to turn off power at the main switch in your
switchboard. Two separate inspections must occur on a
flood-affected property before power can be reconnected to your
property; one by your electricity provider and another by a
licensed electrician who will inspect and test household
wiring.
If the water supply system has been flooded, assume it is
contaminated. Damage to water pipes is reduced when depressurised.
Shove a towel down into the water bowel and weigh that down with a
sand bag or brick, to reduce contamination of floodwater by
untreated sewage.
Turn off your gas supply or gas cylinders. Do not attempt to use
gas appliances if your property has been inundated. Any gas
installation affected by floodwaters must be checked by a licensed
gasfitter, at your expense, before the gas supply can be restored.
Your flood insurance might cover the expense. The operator should
replace flood-affected regulators or meters that form part of the
gas network.
If your solar system is at risk of being subjected to bushfire,
this is what you should do.
Your solar power system should shut down if mains power is
turned off. However, you can manually turn off the solar power
system by following the shutdown procedure listed on or near your
solar inverter or meter box. Do not attempt to turn the solar power
system on when floods have receded. Call your installer, explain
the situation and ask them to recommission the system. Or call your
licensed electrical contractor. The inverter will need to be
replaced if it has been damaged by fire, as internal components
might have melted.
Do not attempt to approach your solar power system or attempt to
turn it off if any of the components are flooded or wet, as this
could cause a lethal electric shock
Purchase long hoses to reach the
entire house and roof.
The hoses you use to water your garden might not reach all walls
of your house and the roof area. And you'll need long hoses, in
order to reach each corner of your property, because the fire could
come from any direction. A lot can be achieved with ordinary garden
hoses. However, permanently installed hose reels are more
effective, because they'll reach the entire house and yard.