Tuross Head residents eager to prepare for bushfire season after RFS community meeting

Captain of the brigade Peter Cole said he was blown away by the turn-out of the August 14 meeting, with many people eager to hear the RFS's tips on surviving future fires.

The meeting was the last of three hosted by the brigade, which separately invited people living west of the Princes Highway, people in Kyla Park cluster developments and those living in the Tuross Head village.

Mr Cole said the meetings were designed to focus on what people could be doing now to prepare themselves, rather than what should be done by governments or the Eurobodalla Shire Council.

"This is not about what other people should or could be doing," he said, "if we can discuss things that each of you can do street by street, we can put together a plan to keep Tuross as safe as it can be".

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The community nodded in agreement when Mr Cole said Tuross Head was a beautiful place to live, surrounded by littoral rainforest and endangered ecosystems.

"We love living here and we need to figure out how to get through the fire season."

Most homes in Tuross Head were not severely damaged by fire during the 2019 and 2020 Black Summer bushfires, however Mr Cole reminded everyone of the community's effort to brave the "blizzard" of embers flying from the south and west of Tuross Head in January 2020.

"When you think of embers you might think of gentle snow floating down, but [during the 2019 and 2020 fires] it was more like a blizzard."

He said embers could be a major cause for concern for those living in the Tuross Head village during fires in the future.

Mr Cole said the brigade had been called to five fires over the last few days, which indicated the bushfire season is "happening now".

"It's coming for us...our fire season is starting earlier than most of the state."

He said most of the recent fires in the Eurobodalla were caused by escaped pile burns. Just a few months ago, 14 RFS trucks along the South Coast were called to extinguish a large grass fire in the Bega Valley.

Mr Cole said although Tuross Head is neighboured by Tuross Lake and Coila River, a strong fire could travel west from the Princes Highway to Hawdons Cove (a distance of one kilometre) in just 10 minutes.

Fire-prone neighbourhoods

Mr Cole showed the Tuross Head community the bush fire household assessment tool, which allows people to enter their address and receive bushfire risk information and a customised to-do list to prepare for bushfires.

He said houses backing onto bushland are considered at-risk or "fire prone".

According to the RFS, houses on the southern side of Jutland Avenue are not fire prone, whereas houses on the north side are at risk.

"If your property is fire prone, it means flames could come for your home.

"If you're in a fire prone area and haven't got the mental and physical capability to look after yourself and your place, you shouldn't be there."

He said that if community members don't feel comfortable defending their home, they should consider leaving the Eurobodalla and heading to Sydney or Canberra.

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"If you're in [the area] of a firefront, maybe it's sensible to set your place up as best you can and then go to a friend's place in one of the safer areas."

Preparing your household

Mr Cole discussed with Tuross Head community members the importance of taking small, frequent steps to keep homes safe from fire.

He urged them to check the RFS's website on how to prepare your home.

"Rather than just rushing around the start of summer, it's worth keeping on top of it all year round."

Some of the tips highlighted were enclosing areas underneath homes, keeping lawns maintained and wet if embers are present, having hoses long enough to reach around the entire house and keeping fire hydrants clear of grass and dirt.

He suggested people should go home and check for the yellow arrows and blue indicators on the road to find the closest fire hydrant and clear it of any debris.

Although large trees cannot be removed without the council's permission, Mr Cole reminded community members that 10 per cent of overhanging limbs could be pruned for safety.

"Lower limbs of a tree could lead a fire from the ground up a tree. Once fire is up in the crown - that's a whole new world of pain."

He said if community members are concerned and cannot obtain approval to remove trees, complaints can be registered on the RFS website.

Get help when you need it

Mr Cole said that many community members in Tuross Head may be elderly, live with a disability or live on their own, meaning they are more vulnerable during bushfires.

He said the community should follow an example set by one street during the 2019 and 2020 bushfires, where a group of neighbours participated in a "watch", taking turns to monitor the area for fires overnight so others could sleep.

He suggested that before the fire season begins, neighbours should reach out to one another to gauge their confidence if a fire were to threaten their home.

"We're all getting older - some help is there if you're in that fire prone land."

The AIDER (Assist Infirm, Disabled and Elderly Residents) program, run by the RFS, is a free service designed to help some of the most vulnerable people feel more confident about the upcoming fire season.

The program provides services like gutter cleaning, removing debris and mowing.

Mr Cole said residents can head to Neighbourhood Safer Places, which are designated places "of last resort" for people that are seeking shelter from fires.

He said bushfire survival plans need to be written down, not just discussed.

"When it's all going nuts, you're not going to remember the things you talked about two months ago."

The RFS has announced the bushfire danger period will start one month early on September 1, 2023. Learn more about the upcoming fire season at rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/BFDP.

More bushfire survival information can be found on the RFS website, rfs.nsw.gov.au.