What have you done to prepare for the Australian bushfire season?

Clear out the guttering of all debris and leaves, clear back dry timber from house, burn off fire igniting material. make sure all taps work easily around property, extra long hoses coiled up, ready to be used if and when neccessary, extra water tanks installed...the slim ones for easy water access once again, tidy up property and check there is no fire igniting propensities lying indiscriminently around, all the family under go a regular fire drill and know exactly what to expect and what to do under stressful conditions as far as personal safety.....property safety......working in conjunction with neighbours if needed.......a store of old second hand blankets at the ready so as to be used in protective ways around home and instructions to soak, an emergency bag or case ready with precious family treasures and personal papers and etc with first aid kit, walkie talkies (continually recharged and at the ready,} emergency change of clothes and underwear, torches, cards and access to money matters enclosed, if with children.....their favourite cuddle toy.....

work out a security plan so as reporting in of those on property and no hero antics!!, see to pets and etc, etc, move fire igniting flamable goods away from windows, doorways and etc, smother and cover over with deeply wet blankets outside around spaces that might invite tunnelling and fuel of fire entering premises, hats, protective wear and easily seen flurescant vests to be worn, gumboots, woollen clothing to protect body from burns.....need i say any more?

Australia Has To Start To Get Ready For This Fire Season

& As The Weather Get Hotter Their Will Be Lot,s of Bushfire

Australia Do not Trow Gigars Butt Out The Car Widow

If U See Somebody Trowing There Gigars Butts Out of The Car Grab There Rego Number & Report Them To The Police ASAP. It The Law some Australia Does Not Want To Burn Like To USA. As The Bushfire Spreads Lot,s of Home Get Burnt Down & Peolple Will Be Homeless Australia Doe,s not That To Happen When At all Back Burn The Bush Before The Fire Season Comes

I live in a suburban block of flats, but it is not immune to small scrub fires: Early this year there was a such fire which was put out by the fire crew merely 1 metre from the building. It was a truly terrifying experience and I've certainly learned the dangers of being complacent during bushfire season.

This year I'm clearing all the rubbish and long dry glass that surrounds my area. However, the new neighbours have taken it to cut down some of the trees, leaving the dead branches in a huge pile right near the building. I would remove it myself, but it's a huge job and you really need a ute, which I don't have. I have asked both them and the property manger to remove it, reminding them of the fire earlier, but so far no action has been taken. I just hope they remove it before it's too late.

It's this sort of attitude that leads to homes being destroyed and lives lost. I plead with everyone to take the advice of the fire department and take this issue seriously. Just because you think it might not happen to you: think again. It can happen to anybody.

I live in a valley and the house backs onto a large forest in Sydney. We had a close call in the summer of 1994 so we are getting good at preparing, such as:

1. Our street has a bushcare group that helps to clear all the dry scrub away throughout the year. This is very helpful as it can easily catch alight and it spreads quickly and goes up the trees.

2. We support the local fire brigade (Kuring-gai) that often do backburns along the back of the houses. These are, obviously, done under ideal conditions and with care.

3. Cleared away dry leaves and sticks from the backyard, gutters and on the roof.

4. Used a fire retardant pain where possible.

5. Have my cat carrier in an easy to find place with some food and a bowl in case of evacuation.

6. Prepared a ready to go box of important documents and keepsakes like photos in case of evacuation. I also have drinking water and some long-life food in a bag and some clothes and sleeping gear.

If another fire approaches, I will try to drench the house with water as much as possible, but I won't stick around if the fire gets close as this not only endangers my life, but that of the fire fighters trying to put it out.

While it is important to try to save property, my life is worth more and I would be devastated knowing a fire fighter lost their life or was injured because of my decision.

Mow the lawns and clean the gutters. There is nothing possible more to do as the building is surrounded by government land the the government refuse to do their bit in keeping the fire hazard down instead every year I am sent threatening letters telling me that if I don't clear the fire hazard on the government land I will be fined astronomical amounts of money. So what are YOU doing to prepare for the bushfire season?

The fire department phone number should be the first number in your mobile phone. Put it in like this: "AAAA000" So it is the first to come up. Prevention is better than loss.

But if it is already burning, you have to get out remembering pets as well. Sadly, since so many people loose their homes, and firefighters also loose their lives, we have to take this very seriously.

1) People should rake up all dry leaves around their homes. it is something that people neglect to do.

2) Our Estate Agents do not tend to our community garden, we have dead trees, dry palm fonts and so many leaves. I feel that the Real Estate Institute should get more involved.

3) I think people should also contact their local Councils, if there are a lot of dead leaves and stuff that burns easily, and fines should be placed on owners of townhouse blocks, if they neglect this.

4) Educating our children from an early age about the dangers of lighting fires should be a must in schools.

5) When you leave your house, I think it is important to see that electrical appliances are unplugged, especially in kitchen areas. And fans plugged into the walls

6) Unfortunately we can't water down the base of our homes with the drought. But don't let water from the house go down the drain, if you can use some for keeping the area close to your house a bit damp, use it.

7) Don't leave any dead leaves and trees near your house. Get rid of them.

8) Don't be scared to report people who look suspicious.

A few years ago I made the observation that particular wattle trees do not readily burn. And if planted as a screen effectively stop fires providing the undergrowth is cleared. It was my sugestion that where ever there are dwellings that may be subject to bushfire or settlements then all gum trees within a hundred metres should be cleared and silver or blACK WATTLE PUT in place

What amazes me is that the powers that be appear not to grasp the effort would be worth while in saved lifes and houses, maybe the politicians are as slow as they appear to be may be they like the thrills of watching the fire fight and ceating more heroes..

I am a refractory engineer fire was my speciality. by the way I live in the desert.

I was just talking to a friend the other day that 4 years ago she couldn't get through the traffic because of a bushfire to pick up her kids from school. They were stuck at school for hours while she sat idling in her car panicking and wondering if the fire was surrounding the school. (she didnt have a mobile at that time either)

So she now has a plan if it happens again she has friends to rely on to look after her kids.

We do leaf clearing at the beginning of every spring.

Another point is to have a secure backyard so that pets can't go missing during a fire. This is also something I have taken care of. My kids have a strong idea of what to do whether they are at home or on their way home from somewhere too.

Having come very close to losing our home in the bushfires at the end of 2001 and having friends who did lose theirs in Canberra a couple of years later I am very aware of the threat and just how scary it is when you are in trouble and not sure of what to do.

The question of whether or not to protect your home is actually quite tricky when it comes down to it. I lean towards letting the professionals do it and wouldn't attempt it without experienced people nearby.

I used to live in Tasmania, so it was not much of a concern for me as long as the heat did not go up too high. Now that I have moved to Adelaide and actually hearing the Brigade's sirens every five minutes or so especially during summer, really hits me how bad it is the situation in other parts of Australia. I live in the city hence not much practical precautions I can take, but surely I think we need to get tough with the fire bugs. There is NO excuse whatsoever for their actions. Maybe we should even ban/discourage smoking in the high risk areas,

Our property backs onto the National Park where I live and my back yard is very clean. The problem we face is if the national park goes up then all our homes here are at risk big time and yes I will be staying to hose the house down and surrounding trees as soon as I hear of an outbreak. Our home is only 2 years old so I don't want to loose it.

One thing that's gets me very angry is when I hear how a large fire was deliberately lit, no matter where it is. We need to get very tough with these fire bugs.