With bushfire season fast approaching, fire authorities around the country are reminding people to prepare their properties and plan what they will do if a bushfire threatens. Tasmanian volunteer firefighter Suzie Gifford shows us how she gets her property ready.
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00:00Hi, I'm Susie. I am a volunteer firefighter. I would say we're very bushfire-prone.
00:12Susie is showing us how she prepares her home to be less vulnerable to bushfires.
00:16Hey girls, what are you doing?
00:19One of the best ways that your property can have of surviving a bushfire event is to have
00:27the area around your house very well managed. I'm aiming to have specific things done before
00:33October because that's when we are a much greater chance of fires occurring.
00:39Today's tasks are straightforward. First, Susie checks the level of her water tank.
00:45It's located here close to the driveway for the firefighting vehicles to park and access
00:51the water. Now I'm going to fill the tank from the firefighting pump that's supplied
00:56from the creek. Next, she tends to her backyard. A really important part includes picking
01:05up any stray branches, raking up leaves and other matter and placing it all in a pile
01:11like this one. Once it's dried off a bit, it will be ready for burning.
01:15She also removes all the flammable items from under her house. If a bushfire breaks out
01:22nearby, Susie intends to leave if it's safe to do so. Having an emergency kit ready to
01:27go will help her get away faster.
01:31I just pack the bare essentials, documents, charges, batteries, snacks and bare essentials
01:37for my pets. I take the full first aid kit because it doesn't take up that much space.
01:46Susie says people can find information about preparing for bushfires on their local fire
01:51service website.
01:52I really recommend that people have a look, make that plan, start deciding what they want
01:57to do to prepare and make their property more defendable.