Be Bushfire Ready
A Bushfire Ready Group is a local community action group aimed at encouraging local residents to work together to prepare and protect their families and properties against bushfires as best they can. Bushfire Ready Groups provide an opportunity for neighbours and friends to network, share ideas and information and to develop and implement strategies which can reduce their bushfire risk.
In a bushfire, a fire truck may not be available to protect every home. This means residents and homeowners need to be responsible for their own safety.
Bushfire Ready is a community-driven program supported by the Department of Fire andContinue reading
April Preparedness
Bushfire Preparedness Summary — Denmark, Western Australia
As we move through the fire season, all property owners in the Denmark Shire are reminded to take action now to protect their homes, families, and neighbours. The following key actions are required to ensure your property is fire-ready and compliant.
1. Hoses, fittings, and sprinklers — upgrading to brass
Why brass over plastic? Plastic fittings, hose connectors, and sprinkler heads can melt or warp under radiant heat before a fire even reaches your property, rendering your entire water system useless at the worst possible moment. Brass withstands extreme temperatures and maintains integrity under fire conditions.
What to inspect and replace:
- Walk every metre of your hose runs and feel for brittleness, cracking, or UV degradation in the hose itself — replace any soft or perished sections
- Swap out all plastic snap-lock connectors, inline joiners, and tap fittings with brass equivalents (available at most hardware stores in standard sizes)
- Replace plastic sprinkler heads with brass pop-up or fixed sprinkler heads rated for fire suppression duty
- Check all hose washers — replace rubber washers with silicone or PTFE versions, which handle heat better
- Test every connection under full pressure for drips or leaks, then mark any faulty points for immediate repair
- Ensure hoses can reach all corners of your roof, gutters, and the full perimeter of your home without strain
Storage: Store hoses in shade or a shed — UV exposure is the primary cause of hose degradation between seasons.
2. Water sources — checking and maintaining
A reliable, adequate water supply is the backbone of any active defence.
Key actions: Ensure your tank has sufficient water throughout. Test your pump monthly — start it, run it under load, and confirm pressure. If you have a dam or creek as a backup source, check access tracks are clear and the pump intake isn't silted up. Label your standpipe clearly so fire crews can locate it quickly.
3. Reviewing your bushfire plan
A bushfire plan is a living document — it needs updating before every season.
What to review and update:
- Trigger point: Decide clearly at what Fire Danger Rating (FDR) you will leave, and make it a household rule — not a decision made under pressure on the day
- Leave early or stay and defend: Confirm this decision as a household. If staying, ensure all members are physically capable, trained, and equipped. If leaving, decide your trigger (e.g. Severe rating or higher) and your destination
- Evacuation route: Drive your primary and backup routes now. Check for roadworks, new gates, or obstructions. Note two alternatives in case one is cut off
- Emergency contacts: Update the list — neighbours, local fire brigade number, family contacts, and your designated meeting point
- Equipment check: Confirm location and condition of your fire fighting gear — protective clothing (wool/cotton, not synthetic), gloves, goggles, P2 respirator, and torch
- Communication: Identify how you will receive warnings — ABC local radio, the Emergency WA app, and a battery-powered or hand-crank radio as backup
- Practice: Walk through the plan with all household members. Assign roles. Ensure everyone knows where the pump is, how to start it, and what to do if a member is separated
4. Vegetation pruning — creating separation
Ember attack is the primary cause of house loss in bushfires. A well-managed garden reduces the fuel load around your home dramatically.
Pruning tasks to complete before fire season:
- Zone 1 (0–10m from the house): Remove all trees and tall shrubs. Keep only low ground cover — lawn, succulents, or bare gravel. Clear gutters, decks, and under the house of leaf litter, which ignites from embers
- Zone 2 (10–30m): Space shrubs so there is at least 2 metres between their canopies — this breaks the "fire ladder" effect. Remove any dead branches, bark, and accumulated leaf litter from beneath plants
- Zone 3 (30m+): Trees are acceptable but must be crown-lifted — remove lower branches up to 2 metres from the ground. This prevents surface fire climbing into the canopy. Ensure no tree canopy overhangs or connects to your roof
- Ladder fuels: Critically, remove any vegetation that creates a continuous path for fire to climb from ground level to shrubs to tree canopies. This is the single most effective vegetation management task
- Timing: Complete all pruning at least four weeks before the start of fire season so cut material can be removed and chipped rather than left on-site as fuel
5. Weather conditions and fire danger ratings
Monitoring: Subscribe to the Emergency WA app and set alerts for your local government area. Bookmark the Bureau of Meteorology's Fire Weather page. Keep ABC local radio on during elevated danger periods — it is the primary emergency broadcast network.
Understanding the Fire Danger Rating scale (Australia):
| Rating | What it means | Your action |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate | Fire conditions manageable | Continue normal prep |
| High | Fast-moving fire possible | Complete all property prep |
| Extreme | Catastrophic fire potential | Leave early — do not stay |
| Catastrophic | Worst conditions possible | Leave the night before or at dawn |
Conditions to watch closely: Hot temperatures (above 35°C), low humidity (below 20%), and strong or gusty winds in combination create the most dangerous fire weather. Watch for Northerly or Easterly winds in WA — these are typically your highest-risk wind directions ahead of a cool change. A rapid wind change as a cold front passes can drive fire in an unexpected direction, so if a front is forecast, treat the hours before and during its passage as your highest-risk window.
The key principle across all five tasks is to do the work well before fire season peaks — decisions and repairs made under pressure in hot weather, or worse, on a declared fire danger day, will always be slower, less thorough, and more dangerous than work completed methodically in the cooler months.
For further information, contact the Denmark Shire Council or visit the Shire website. In the event of a fire emergency, call 000.
DFES Video Resources
Other Bushfire Videos - Some for Children
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General good advice
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Bushfires are a part of life in Australia and, as we saw last week, they can have a devastating impact on people’s lives. We find out what families can do to prepare for bushfires and how they can stay safe in an emergency.
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A farmer who sustained serious injuries in a fire
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ABC made for children Behind the News.
Great resource for children
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The science behind bushfire and bushfire behaviour