If anyone has been listening to the news lately, the similarities between the Perth Hills and Warrandyte would have been chilling – city fringe, hilly terrain, heavily wooded. That’s us people, to a T.
Have you left home yet? Trust me, you do NOT want to wait until a fire starts somewhere nearby. If you do, you will be stuck in an almighty traffic jam, and that will make you a sitting duck if the fire sweeps over the road.
I understand the reluctance to leave the comfort of an air-conditioned home for a day spent wandering around a shopping centre. Those are exactly the sentiments of my daughter. That’s why she’s still here, at home, with me. But…
1. I have dedicated firefighting pumps in a concrete pump housing protected by an earth berm,
2. I have a big underground concrete water tank used ONLY for firefighting,
3. I have galvanised roof sprinklers [that won’t melt!] covering the ridge line and all around the eaves,
4. I have fire-resistant shutters around all doors, windows and my front verandah,
5. I have landscaped the area around the house not to burn. That includes no flammable vegetation AND pebbles as mulch,
6. Finally, as a line of absolute last resort, I have my wine cellar. It’s dug into the hillside, just a few metres from the emergency exit from my house.
So, there are no guarantees in this life, especially when we’re talking about bushfires, but this property is as safe as human effort can make it. That’s why I’m letting my daughter stay.
Can you say the same?
Do you really want to place your life, and the lives of your children at the mercy of luck? Because if you stay, that is exactly what you’re doing – you’re gambling on wishful thinking.
Fire will sweep through Warrandyte again, and this week could be it. Think about it, please.
Good luck to us all.
Meeks
Meeka's Mind 