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How to Keep Your Home Fire Safe This Summer

Summer brings long, lazy days at the beach, never ending cricket on the tele and mountains of ice blocks on the go. 

Sadly, hot and dry weather also brings with it the potential risk of bushfires. 

With Sydney’s Northern Beaches and North Shore beautifully surrounded by bushland, it is important to ensure that you prepare your home ahead of time. 

A well prepared home gives you a greater chance of it surviving a bushfire. It will also make it easier for firefighters to defend and less likely to put your neighbours’ homes at risk.

These are the top things you can do to protect your home and family from bushfires this season, courtesy of the NSW Royal Fire Service.

  • Keep gutters clear of leaves and twigs
  • Install metal gutter guards
  • Repair damaged or missing tiles on the roof
  • Install fine metal mesh screens on windows and doors
  • Fit seals around doors and windows to eliminate gaps
  • Repair or cover gaps in external walls
  • Attach a fire sprinkler system to gutters
  • Keep lawns short and gardens well maintained
  • Cut back trees and shrubs overhanging your home
  • Clean up fallen leaves, twigs and debris around the property
  • Have hoses long enough to reach around your house
  • If you have a pool, put a Static Water Supply (SWS) sign on your property entrance, so firefighters know where they can get water.
  • Check and maintain adequate levels of home and contents insurance. Ensure it is up to date.

Do you have a Bush Fire Survival Plan for your family? If not, all it takes is four simple steps. Head to the link below for your guide on the NSW Royal Fire Service website. 

www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/resources/bush-fire-survival-plan