What would happen to your home if there was a bushfire in our community?

Now there’s a way to find out. The Hunter Joint Organisation has a Simtable and they are travelling around our region. The Simtable can model bushfire movement and outcomes based on what bushfire plan you implement to protect your home and it helps communities understand their bushfire risk and develop preparedness and response plans.

The CPPA will be bringing the Simtable to our hall in February for community members to test their response plans.

Recently members of local Sustainable Neighbourhood Groups were able to see the Simtable in action as it modelled the 2002 Killingworth fire. The Teralba Landcom development, currently under construction, would have been consumed and in a scenario where it kept burning, even the Coal Point peninsula, surrounded by water was impacted right out to the tip of Coal Point.

At the workshop Craig Holland, LMCC’s Bushfire Officer, commented that 87% of homes in bushfires are lost to ember attack, not the actual flames or heat from the fire front. He also emphasised that Lake Macquarie was largely untouched by the Black Summer fires of 2019-20 and how important it is to prepare your house now for summer as the wet weather has also resulted in a lot of growth and it isn’t taking long for the ground to dry out.

The RFS website, has a wealth of knowledge to assist us in preparing for this bushfire season and there are some must do actions for our bushland community.

1. Get your bush fire survival plan in place, it only takes 5 minutes to think through and discuss with your family what you’d do if a bushfire was threatening your home- 

2. Prepare your home and gardens now before the bushfire season kicks in. 

• Trim overhanging trees and shrubs,
• Mow grass,
• Remove material that can burn from around your home e.g wood piles, mulch, paint, straw door mats,
• Clean out your gutters,
• Make sure your hoses can reach around your house

3. Know the bushfire alert levels. They’ve been simplified to Moderate, High, Extreme and Catastrophic.

You can download the Fires Near Me App and set it up for a radius of 10km around your home which will keep you informed f

4. Keep Key information handy to stay up to date on local conditions. Keep your phone charged, have a battery powered radio available to access local radio 1233 ABC

If you need a hand to prepare your home the RFS runs the AIDER (Assist Infirm, Disabled and Elderly Residents) program , a free, one-off service which supports some of our most at-risk community members. They can assist people who have limited domestic support available from family, relatives, friends or other services to do the tasks outlined above to prepare your home.

If you would like to know more about the AIDER service, call 02 8741 4955 or email aider@rfs.nsw.gov.au or download our fact sheet. You can also fill out an online form. https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-prepare/aider

Other handy information includes the Lake Macquarie Council’s Disaster Dashboard. It’s a glimpse into the future in a climate changing world. Information is provided on 14 disaster scenarios; bushfires, heatwaves, storms, floods, East Coast Lows, tsunamis, infrastructure failure, Human infectious diseases, biosecurity, coastal erosion, earthquakes and landslides.

It also offers some general tips

1. Know your risks
2. Plan now for what you’ll do
3. Get your home ready
4. Be aware
5. Look out for each other:

If you like your plants there’s a way to have a garden and still be bushfire safe. A demonstration Fire Retardant Garden is at the Toronto Fire Station.

There are fire retardant plant selections in Lake Macquarie Landcare's Fact Sheet, Native Fire Retardant Plants  and Trees In Newcastle’s TIN Topic 13 Fire Retardant Plants 

… and did you know The Toronto Workers Club is the local Emergency Evacuation Centre!

Homes and habitat

As the weather warms up, smoke wafts through the air and the buzz of chainsaws drown out the cicadas, are you wondering how to find a happy balance between lifestyle choices and habitat values for wildlife? A publication from the Nature Conservation Council- Creating bird-friendly gardens in bush fire prone areas makes good holiday reading. Here’s an excerpt.

Many people live near the bush to see and hear native birds and other wildlife. Having them visit makes a garden more interesting and habitat gardens help wildlife by providing stepping-stones to bushland.

However, living near the bush can also bring the risk of bush fire. One of the main ways to reduce the risk is a well-designed and maintained garden that acts as an Asset Protection Zone (APZ). An APZ is a fuel-reduced area surrounding a built asset such as a house or shed. It is a key element in reducing the impact of bush fire along with house and property maintenance and a Bush Fire Survival Plan.

An APZ can also provide habitat and offer food, shelter and water for native animals. This fact sheet is a guide to creating an APZ that attracts birds and other wildlife and helps protect your home from bush fire.

Another local resources available is Landcare Fact Sheet 9- Fire Retardant Plants . It contains plants suitable for our area you can pick up a copy at the Landcare Office or download it.

Toronto Fire Station’s Model Fire Retardant Native Garden

Living in a bushland suburb doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your garden for safety. That’s the message behind the demonstration garden being constructed at Toronto Fire Station.

Stage One of this project is a planting day on Sunday, 22^nd September from 9:30 to 11:00. Come along with the family and help plant out the garden, talk to the fire fighters about protecting property, and enjoy morning tea together. 

When was the last time a bushfire was on the Coal Point peninsula?

The Progress Association is keen to gather some details about the local fire history. Some members recall a fire in the 1950’s, and then perhaps two since 1960. Can anyone fill in some detail? Contact a Committee member or coalpointprogress@gmail.com

Know Your Bush Fire Risk

Lake Macquarie City Council is currently updating its Bush Fire Risk Management Plan. The Draft Lake Macquarie Bush Fire Risk Management Plan (BFRMP) 2010 is on public exhibition until Wednesday 16 June 2010.

If you live next to some bushland, and a fair few people around here do, take some time to have a squiz at the plan and provide some feedback.

The document and maps are available on LMCC’s website, at the library and at Speers Point

A brief search online shows the majority of the Coal Point peninsula has an Asset Protection Zone with a 4-(medium) risk rating .  Within the draft document it states “Areas of medium or low risk are likely to be managed by routine procedures and so do not require a specific
application of resources.”

The fire management intent of the Asset Protection Zone is to protect human life, property and highly valued public assets and values. The suppression objectives are to enable the safe use of Direct Attack suppression strategies within the zone and to minimise bush fire impacts on undefended assets.

If you’d like more information look at LMCC website or make a comment to Bush Fire Management Committee Executive Officer , PO Box 121, West Wallsend NSW 2286,   thelakesteam@rfs.nsw.gov.au.