Bushfire Management Plans

Everyone is talking bushfires in Australia at the moment as the heartrending stories emerge from Victoria. (our neighbouring state). We in South Australia consider ourselves lucky to have escaped this time. When bushfire danger conditions are predicted (the hot North Wind is the worst) we are all encouraged through the media to, “revisit our bushfire management plans”.

Some years ago we attended a CFS (Country Fire Authority) education day where we learnt about making a bushfire plan. So we now are alerted to the “go or stay” issue and how to defend your home.

Here is an example from a local authority:

Ask Yourself
* Are you ready for the bushfire season?
* Is your family and home at risk?
* Will you and your family stay and defend your home or leave early before the fire starts?

Things to Consider
* Does your family include, children, elderly or people with disabilities?
* Can you or your family physically or mentally defend your house during a bushfire?

Put together an emergency/survival kit
* with spare batteries. Candles to provide light.
* Matches or lighter. Battery radio with spare batteries.
* First aid kit. Medication.
* Fire extinguishers. Fire blankets.
* Bottled drinking water. etc

(I learnt something new from the story of a survivor in today's newspaper: leave a car in your driveway, out of the garage, as a final escape option. AND don't lose the keys)

Although we argue that we are not really in danger in our location (on the Hills Face Zone overlooking Adelaide), we still are prepared.

We have decided to be “stayers” so we have our bushfire kit ready in a spare bedroom (boots, long pants, long sleeved wool shirt, buckets, spare water hose).
We also have a generator to pump water from our rain water tanks; a system to start the sprinklers on the roof that will fill the gutters with water (no good if the power goes) and a bolt hole to hide if all else fails. We should keep buckets filled with water at various spots around the house.

They say that as the fire front approaches you stay inside, with curtains closed. Once the front has passed you can go outside and put out spot fires and watch for embers. Many houses are burnt by embers travelling before or after the fire front.

Our bolt hole is our wine cellar! It is between a huge rain water tank and the basement of the house. All walls are concrete. And we will not fall short of sustenance!

Many people die when they decide to leave at the last moment and get caught in the thick smoke, darkness and are unsure which route to follow.

The gum trees (eucalypts) are another concern. We love our trees, plant more and protect them, but in a major fire, gum trees are the fuel. So you have to remove any that are too close to the house.

These terrible fires will go down in Australian history.
Famous ones are “Black Friday” in 1939 and the “Ash Wednesday” fires of Feb 1983. Factors combined to make for extreme fire conditions.

It has happened again and I wonder what the fires of Saturday, 7th Feb, 2009, when “fire fell from the sky”, will be called.

Koalas in Stress

The koala population in the Adelaide Hills is not original to the area. They were introduced and have flourished spreading down onto the plains and urban areas. We have resident koalas. Sometimes up to 4 are visable in the daytime and their donkey-like brays are commonly heard at night. With the drought and the lack of moisture in the eucalypts leaves they come out of the trees to seek ground water. Sometimes they look distressed and on the recent 45.7 degree day we sprayed them in the trees.

One adolescent did not leave the front lawn in the morning. I thought that he was done for. So my husband decided to don large gloves and pick him up (not recommended as they have suprisingly big and sharp claws) and put him in a tree to see if he could feed himself.

There is a koala rescue line but they would be flat out in these conditions, so this was our Plan A.
The koala was quite docile, and after he was put into a small tree, he sat and recovered for a while before climbing higher. Next morning he was back on our lawn hugging a bird bath but a few hours later climbed another tree. We think he is OK now.

Another, larger koala, took to hiding next to our tool shed in the shade. They can be harassed by large dogs so the ground is not recommended.

This heat wave is due to pass on Sunday when the temperature is expected to drop to 25 oC. Meanwhile we take showers several times a day!