Suburban households urged to ‘ember proof’ homes before bushfire season bites

RESIDENTS living on the outskirts of metropolitan Adelaide are being urged to “ember-proof” their homes as authorities warn suburban properties are at risk of succumbing to bushfires.

RESIDENTS living on the outskirts of metropolitan Adelaide are being urged to “ember-proof” their homes as authorities warn suburban properties are at risk of succumbing to bushfires.

With the Fire Danger Season coming into effect in the Adelaide and Mount Lofty regions on December 1, the CFS, MFS and the State Government are reminding suburban residents that “complacency kills”.

Emergency Services Minister Chris Picton said householders needed to take action now to reduce their bushfire risk.

“The urban surroundings often make us feel protected from bushfire, but for many areas on the outskirts of Adelaide, that is not the case,” he said.

“Bushfires can and will travel into the suburbs – we need to be ready.

“We know embers can travel kilometres and that puts homes on the outskirts of metropolitan Adelaide squarely in the danger zone when it comes to bushfire – I urge everyone to take note of the best way to ember-proof your home and take action to lower your risk.”

Residents living on the outskirts of Adelaide are being urged to prepare their homes for a bushfire this summer. Picture Campbell Brodie.

Mr Picton said the January 2015 Sampson Flat bushfire, which threatened the foothills and suburbs including Golden Grove, served as an example of how bushfires could impact suburban areas.

CFS chief officer Greg Nettleton by ignoring the risk “you could be putting your loved ones, pets or neighbours at peril”.

“One thing is for sure, bushfires will happen this summer – we just don’t know where,” he said.

Authorities are encouraging residents to “ember-proof” their homes by:

PLUGGING up any gaps around their home with steel mesh.

REPAIRING broken or missing roof tiles.

CLEARING dried leaves from gutters and installing ember guards.

UNDERTAKING a general tidy-up around

MFS chief officer Greg Crossman said it was important for residents to undertake these steps because authorities were not always able to assist every home.

“Residents in urban areas often expect a fire truck to be at their door, but during a bushfire it’s simply not possible to protect every home individually,” he said.