Protect your home from bushfires: Part 1 Making a home safe in a
bushfire prone area starts with the basics: creating a
defendable space and removing excess vegetation. If you live in
a bushfire-prone area, just how should a homeowner protect their
home? That’s exactly what one reader asked us recently – and we
asked renowned bushfire advisor and expert, Norm Winn. Create a
defendable space around the home To start with, it is critical
that a homeowner recognises they live in a bushfire-prone area.
This is a complex subject and planning from the outset is
critical. Once they have acknowledged there is a risk, one of
the first considerations in fireproofing a home is vegetation.
If a home is to be built in a bushfire-prone area there must be
a defendable space between it and vegetation. That space will
ensure direct flames or radiant heat don’t impact on the home.
Ideally, you want a defendable area of 60 to 70 metres between
the home and forested areas. That is, large and plentiful trees
and fairly dense unde