🏜️ Wildfire preparation checklist

Most of what protects a house from wildfire happens weeks before one starts, in the metre of ground right around it.

17 items

1. Official evacuation warnings signed up forThe advance notice a wildfire gives, if it gives any at all — don't rely on seeing smoke first.
2. A metre of bare ground kept clear right against the wallsEmbers travel far ahead of the fire itself — this is what stops them catching on something right by the house.
3. Dry vegetation and leaf litter cleared from gutteringOne of the most common places embers actually settle and catch.
4. Firewood and gas bottles stored well away from the house
5. Trees and shrubs near the house thinned and kept trimmed backReduces how much fuel is close enough to the walls to matter.
6. Outdoor furniture and anything flammable moved away from the house on a high-risk day
7. Decision made in advance: stay and defend, or leave earlyMade calmly beforehand, not on the day with smoke already visible — that's when a good decision gets much harder.
8. Evacuation go bag ready by the doorThe same bag covers this as any other evacuation — see the go bag checklist.
9. Car kept fuelled and facing out on a high-risk daySo leaving doesn't start with turning the car around in a hurry.
10. Windows and doors closed, vents blocked if a fire is closeReduces embers and smoke getting into the house even if you're staying and defending.
11. Water supply and a hose kept ready and accessibleFor dampening down close to the house, not for fighting the fire itself.
12. Masks kept in the house for smokeSmoke travels much further than the fire itself and affects breathing well before flames are close.
13. Neighbours' plans knownSo nobody assumes someone else is checking on an elderly or disabled neighbour who can't evacuate alone.
14. Livestock or larger animals' evacuation planned separatelyTrailers, routes and a destination decided in advance — this can't be improvised on the morning.
15. Insurance documents and photos of the property kept off-site or backed upJust make sure a copy exists somewhere the fire isn't.
16. Radio or official alert channel checked regularly on a high-risk dayConditions change fast — a warning from the morning can be out of date by the afternoon.
17. Home rechecked for embers and hot spots after the fire front has passedFires reignite from smouldering material long after the flames themselves have moved on.