Your Preparedness CheckA 5-step process for building resilience to extreme weather events Step 1. Map your location Step 2. Your personal situation Step 3. Your property Step 4. Your neighbourhood Step 5. Information for your plan DO NOT MODIFY - Ready Check Tool - Your Property Step 3. Your Property Draw a mud map of your property and the immediate surrounding area on a piece of paper (or drawing tool on your computer) – just to get a rough idea of the characteristics of your place and surrounds (see example). Include in your plan your house and any other sheds, buildings, trees, vegetation, water tank, pool, fences, gates (& if locked), decking, BBQs & gas bottles, mulch & garden waste, sprinklers, shutters, gutter guards, overhanging trees, driveway, roof material, wall material, verandahs, decks, vegetation, pet enclosures, side access, slope, road, paving, large windows, window frame material. YOUR PROPERTY'S STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES Use the information below to assess your property’s strengths and weaknesses for events such as bush fire, flood, heatwave and storms. The list will give you an indication of strengths and weaknesses of your property but is not comprehensive. Refer to the links to access more ideas on strengths and weaknesses of your home and property. Remember a strength may improve resilience across multiple hazard types, for example fire rated storm shutters on windows facing the bushland can reduce to the impact of bushfires, storms and heatwaves as well as improve home security. Click on the sections for the hazards identified for your property in Step 1 to check your property’s strengths and hazards for each. Bushfire Legend RoofHouse & roof designMany re-entrant corners where leaves and embers can collect; Complex roof with gables and valleysAdditions with valleys or channels between roofsSimple building design with few re-entrant corners; Simple roof structureFurther informationRoof material type & ageOld metal with gaps; Old timber shingles; Tile pre 1980 with gaps, mortar not replacedTile, pre 1980, mortar replaced >15 years agoMetal, no gapsTile, post 1980, mortar replaced within 10 years, no gaps >3mm; Roof fully sarkedFurther informationRoof sprinklersNo water supplyNo sprinkler systemSprinklers on mains water & powerSprinklers with independent water source and pump; Regular testingFurther informationRoof lights, skylights, roof ventilators & vent pipesNo sarking; Not sealed; Open vents; Combustible material (plastic or acrylic); Missing fins; No ember guardsLaminated safety glass; Flashing fire-retardant material; Aluminium ember guardsToughened safety glass; Sealed with non-combustible lining; Corrosion-resistant steel or bronze meshFurther informationEaves & fasciaEaves not enclosedEaves with gapsEaves enclosed with fibre-reinforced cement or aluminium sheetsEaves enclosed with fire-retardant-treated timber or steelFurther informationVents, weepholes & chimneyOpen holes or broken vents; Open chimney topNo ember guards; Unsealed chimney potAluminium ember guards; Sealed chimneyCorrosion-resistant steel or bronze ember guards; Unused chimney sealed with steelFurther informationGutters and downpipesBlocked gutters; Combustible materialNo gutter guardsGutter guards; Ability to seal downpipes & fill gutters with waterMetal gutter guards; Leaf-free; Non-combustibleFurther informationWallsHouse external wall materialTimber with flaking paint & gapsTimber well maintained & sealed; CladdingSingle brickMasonry; Concrete; Rammed earth; Fibre cement (>9mm); Steel sheetingFurther information / Further informationExposed timberRotten timber; Peeling paintGood condition; Protective paintFire-retardant-treated timberFurther informationWindows & framesTimber frame with flaking paint; Old glass; Large panes; facing hazard; Old; Plastic mesh or no screensTimber frame well maintained & paintedFire-retardant-treated timber frames; Aluminium frames; Laminated glass; Corrosion-resistant steel or bronze mesh screensMetal window frames and hardware; Non-combustible shutters; Toughened glassFurther informationExternal doorsOld timber wooden doors with flaking paint; Gaps under the door; No screen on door; Plastic mesh screenTimber doors, no screen door; Glass sliding door without screenGlass sliding door with safety glass & metal screen; Screen door with aluminium mesh; Wooden door with 400mm metal kickplate on bottomFire-retardant-treated timber; Non-combustible shutters; Weather strips; Tight fitting door screen with corrosion-resistant steel or bronze meshFurther informationGarage doorsAttached to house; Old wooden door with flaking paint; Gaps >3mm around & under doorRoller door without guide tracks or nylon brush; Ventilation slots in doorEasy to open without power; Gaps <3mmNon-combustible door; Weather strips, guide tracks, gaps <3mmFurther informationFloorSub floor space & posts, stumpsOld dry timber; Unenclosed; Items stored under houseLeaves & dry material under houseSub-floor space enclosed with steel mesh <3mmFire retardant treated timber; Enclosed sub-floor spaceFurther informationFloorsSuspended; Older, dry timber floor unenclosed; GapsSuspended floor with flammable insulationSuspended floor with fire-retardant timber or non-combustible sheeting; UnenclosedConcrete slab on ground; Suspended floor with enclosed sub-floor space and fire-retardant timber or non-combustible sheetingFurther informationVerandas and deckingOld Wooden deck; Unenclosed; Wooden outdoor furniture; Store for firewood; Leaves accumulatedEnclosed with fine steel meshDeck frame & decking non-combustible; No spaces between decking (or 3mm spacing)Concrete or non-combustible material; Fire-retardant-treated timber; No flammable furnitureFurther informationOutdoorsVertical barriers to shield the buildingBulk of building oriented towards hazard with no barriersPartial shield <1m highContinuous screen of low-flammability vegetation understorey to canopySolid masonry wall >2m high to shield buildingFurther informationLandscapingTrees over house; Bark hanging; Highly flammable plants; Mulch, leaf litter & dead branches against wall of house
