Keeping your home and family safe from bushfire involves many things. This includes choosing:

These can all be factors in defending your home during a bushfire.

Planning SA provides an overview of the requirements for all new homes and accommodation facilities built in South Australia's designated Bushfire Prone Areas. It also provides information on extending an existing home in a designated Bushfire Prone Area.

The map based online bushfire risk assessment tool will also help you find out if you are in a bushfire protection area.

Many Councils employ a Fire Prevention Officer to help the community in planning and prevention strategies. They can help you by:

We can also help you with planning. Contact the Development Assessment Unit on 08 8391 6077. 

When building a new home in a rural area some of the things that you should consider are:

Planning the landscaping around your home will improve your chances of protecting your home during a bushfire. Correctly managed vegetation can provide many benefits during a bushfire including:

To protect your house prevent sparks and burning material from entering through windows, under doors and/or under floorboards. This can be achieved by:

Most homes ignite when sparks or burning embers blow under tiles and start burning roofing timbers or accumulated litter. Metal roofing offers more protection provided it is firmly secured and sealed around vents, skylights, fascias and roof caps.

Underfloor areas that are not enclosed allow sparks and embers to penetrate. If these areas are used to store timber, firewood, or other flammable materials, the risk is increased. Make sure that underfloor areas are kept clear of flammable material during summer.

Crevices where embers can collect are potential ignition points.

Windows, along verandahs, vents into the house, cracks under doors and window ledges are common places where sparks can get in. You should cover these spots with fine wire mesh to prevent embers from getting into walls, roof cavity areas or through windows.

Another form of active protection for your home are metal shutters. Shutters can be pulled down over exposed windows or placed over skylights in the event of a fire.

If you rely on electric pumps to get your water supply from a bore, dam, swimming pool or overhead tanks under pressure you run the risk of having the power cut-off during a bushfire.

A supplementary water supply under pressure is essential, coupled to a diesel or petrol motor.

Fire water supplies serve three main functions:

To operate a sprinkler system you will need an independent water supply with a 22,000 litre capacity.

Make sure you always keep a water supply in reserve for firefighting.

We recommend an overhead water tank fitted with gate valve and canvas hose/coupling or fire tank filler with a 22,000 litre capacity.

Ensure your water supply is close to the house. Do not have exposed areas of plastic pipe or hose that can burn.

Gravity fed water tanks with wide opening outlets will allow you to quickly fill buckets and use your portable pump. Fit gate valves to all new tanks to use your pumping equipment.

A 5hp (3.7kw) portable diesel or petrol motor coupled to a 38mm centrifugal fire pump will provide the independent water pressure needed for your emergency firefighting system when mains power is cut.

A general purpose petrol engine pump will work efficiently providing it has protection from the radiant heat to prevent fuel vaporisation.

A portable water pump will ensure sufficient water pressure during a bushfire emergency.

House the pump in a readily accessible shed protected on the side of the house away from the most likely direction of a bushfire.

If you have sufficient water supplies a sprinkler system can be extremely valuable in defending your home against bushfire.

When designing a sprinkler system, be sure to use metal sprinkler heads. Metal pipes are best. If plastic pipes are used they must be installed 40cm underground so they will not melt. Sprinklers should be positioned so that the water canopy will not blow away in high winds or evaporate.

When planning a sprinkler system remember that fires are accompanied by high winds and high temperatures that can reduce the effectiveness of fine sprays. Keep the sprinklers operating until well after the fire has passed.

Verandahs and balconies can be vulnerable areas of your home with their expanse of timbers open to spark and ember bearing winds.

Sprinklers that spray up towards roofing on verandahs can help save your home. Consider sprinklers placed on the leading edge of guttering so the spray is blown down over the walls and windows and back onto the roof.

Garden sprinkler systems on the windward side can aid your fire prevention effort. Placement around from North to South-West can help retard fire progress towards the house area.

You should consider the following before installing a sprinkler system:

Fuel supplies and hazardous chemicals need to be stored in single purpose buildings in cleared areas isolated from other farm buildings.

A well designed and maintained garden can contribute significantly to your bushfire protection plan. The selection, location and maintenance of plants are an important part of this. The benefits include:

The following should be considered when planning vegetation for fire protection:

Maintaining a zone of fuel reduced vegetation around a building is a good fire prevention measure. You need to regularly clean up and remove flammable plant debris before and during the fire danger season. Maintenance tasks include:

Given the right conditions all plants will burn but some plants are more flammable than others.

Planting fire retardant plants and ground cover can:

Select plants with low flammability characteristics such as fleshy moisture retaining leaves.

A well-designed and maintained windbreak in a rural area will protect buildings from bushfires by:

Designing windbreaks for the best results:

Position your driveway on the side of your house most likely to be impacted by fire:

All gardeners should be aware that some ornamental plants really take off when they get into the bush. Some do so well they choke out the natives, like blackberries, or become a fire hazard, like gorse.

It's good practice to consult with your local council or the SA Department of Environment, Heritage and Aboriginal Affairs to determine a plant’s suitability for your area.

You can also contact your local Landcare or Bushcare Group (Trees for Life) for information on species that are indigenous to your area. They may even supply plants propagated from seeds collected locally.

For more information see Fact Sheets - Section 4, Preparing your Property