RFS bushfire briefing session 21 October 2023
Catho Community – RFS briefing session 21 October 2023
RFS key points:
Ember attacks are what threatens houses – consider any flammable material around your house that could catch fire from an ember attack. Fires tend to start on warm windy days so imagine flying embers landing on anything near your house, and try and tidy those things up. This includes: dry leaves in gutters, mulch around gardens, the winter woodpile near the house, even the doormat! Also make sure your gas cylinders are turned off before you evacuate your house
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Houses on the bush – important to be even more vigilant as a fire can rush through the bush and yours is the first house it hits – consider your asset protection zone, which is 20 to 30 metres of clear mown space between you and the bush. If you have a build up of dry vegetation in this area then there is a higher risk to your property
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Be particularly vigilant when hot and windy weather is forecast and the fire danger is high – but RFS suggests you maintain good maintenance through the hotter months so you are ready for a hot day
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If you have to leave – in the event of an evacuation, lock up your home well, put a towel along the bottom of the door and remove any coir or other woven doormat and anything else that is flammable. This will hopefully prevent smoke entering the home and also prevent an ember from getting under the door and into the house
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Water availability – in the Moonee area there is town water and hydrants, but the RFS can still access water from swimming pools, tanks etc. In Historical Catho there is no town water so reliance on tanks etc is all the more important. The PA and the Alliance will work with the RFS to develop a plan for the community-wide installation of Storz fittings on tanks so that the RFS can access residential water supplies, and we will seek to apply for a grant or else facilitate a bulk purchase of fittings and arrange for an installer to fit as many possible in a community-wide program. Please look out for further communications on this over the next few weeks. This also involves putting a static water sign on the front/back fence and letterbox to alert the RFS that there is water available. RFS trucks do carry water and they have a bulk water carrier but in an emergency they want to access all the water they can
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Individual house inspection – the RFS is happy to visit individual houses to advise on fire protection
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Solo Water – the RFS would seek to use the Solo Water tanks in the event of a fire
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Water from the ocean – there is much improved technology that allows water to be picked up from the ocean by helicopters and used in water bombing
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Maintenance of Hazard Protection Zones – look for the spot where the bush starts in earnest, and anything from there to your back fence is HPZ. If its not being regularly mowed or maintained then either mow it yourself or else contact the landowner and ask for it to be maintained
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All roads out are blocked – in that case suggest people assemble in a wide open space – eg the surf club or the area at Middle Camp where the bowling club used to be. Both spots allow access to the beach if necessary. At Moonee its probably best to get to one of the open spaces in Heritage Catho, depending on the location of the fire. As you know the path to the Moonee beach is through bush which may be hazardous
NPWS key points:
NPWS manage the hazard reduction burns around the area – these are very strictly controlled and have to fit within a range of parameters eg level of rain, wind, heat, etc. They plan ahead with a cyclical schedule of controlled burns, but they cannot always carry out the planned burns due to the prevailing conditions
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Listen to ABC radio on the AM frequency 1233 – on a high fire danger day this is the best source of news locally, about evacuations, status of fires and other hazards
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Granny flats in the Moonee development – the garden for most houses is part of the hazard protection zone, but if there is a granny flat being built then this reduces the protection zone – please be aware of this
Horticultural insights:
Our resident Landscape Architect and horticulturist Linda Ross says; if you are planning a new garden consider the following:
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English country gardens are quite flammable as are a lot of scented plants that contain oils and waxes like Australian eucalyptus and tea trees.
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Linda suggests choosing an Australia rainforest garden or a coastal succulent style, as these plans contain a lot of water rather than sap or resin.
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Fire retardant natives include wattles, saltbush and emu bush, flannel flowers and native pigsface.
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You should look for plants with wide, flat, thick or soft and fleshy leaves with more moisture in them than needle like leaves, and don’t choose shrubs that hold a lot of dead foliage inside like conifers.
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Fire retardant Australian rainforest species from Northern NSW include Buckinghamia Ivory Curl tree, Eleocarpus, lomandra, tuckeroo, tree waratah, native frangipani, water gum and lilly pilly Cascade.
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Cacti and Succulents are a wide and eye-catching group of plants. Choose from frangipani, echeveria, crassula (jade plants), blue chalksticks, pigsface, kalanchoe (copper and silver spoons), agave and aloes. The bonus here is their easy-to-grow, dry-loving nature which is good in our subtropical climate and they love neglect!
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Other, very Catho plants, include sterile cultivars of Agapanthus (sterile varieties won’t reseed in bushland areas like the common species) and of course hydrangeas (planted on southeast aspect) and camellias.
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Edible gardens like lemons, mulberry, citrus and veggies are usually well watered and therefore fire retardant.
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Clear out gutters, dead leaves and branches that could alight from ember attack – reemphasised!!!
Land Care insights:
After a fire, consider the native animals and put out water in ice cream containers, and also “native browse” (new tips of local native plants eg gum trees, wattles, tea tree, pig face - flowers also) which provides food for the local animals. You can also put some in the water, and even freeze it and put it out so that it is released gradually for the returning animals.
Insurance insights:
Read the fine print (PDS, or Product Disclosure Statement)
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Most insurance policies in Australia cover bushfire, but not necessarily all.
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Check definitions (eg what is a “fire”), insured events, and general exclusions.
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For example, does the policy cover smoke damage?
Check you have adequate coverage
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Analysis of recent bushfire disasters has revealed that under-insurance is a common problem.
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Building costs have risen significantly post-Covid.
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Changes in bushfire standards may also increase the cost of re-building.
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Also consider costs for demolition, removal, and alternative accommodation.
Beware of waiting periods (typically 48-72 hours from start of policy)
Who chooses the repairer/builder?
Rebuild or cash settlement?