Fireproofing Your Home

Protecting your home from fires is important, especially with the recent bushfires throughout Australia. The problem is, most people aren’t familiar with fireproofing a home, particularly when it comes to the little things. Not only do you need to make sure you’re not surrounding your home in fire hazards, you also need to make sure you’re using fireproof building materials and fireproofing chemicals for the best results.

Avoid fire hazards

Keeping fire hazards away from your home is one of the best ways to prevent fire damage. The truth is, most people have a couple fire hazards either in or around their home which could easily be eliminated.

As tempting as it can be to keep a lot of shrubs and other vegetation around your home, they’re a common fire hazard. While it’s fine to have some vegetation around your home, that vegetation can create a path for the fire to follow and get to your home. This problem only gets worse if you’ve got particularly dry vegetation around your home. You might not want to hear it, but getting rid of some dry shrubs and plants near your home can greatly reduce the risk of major fires.

Fire-resistant building materials

Whether you’re in the home design process or doing some work on your home, you should always talk to the contractor you’re working with to ensure they’re using fire-resistant building materials. Certain types of boards, insulation and more can stand up to a lot of heat without catching fire, which is crucial to stopping a fire from spreading throughout your home.

The fact of the matter is, you’re in bad shape once the fire front reaches your home. Even fire-resistant building materials will catch fire at some point. However, you can greatly increase your chances of survival by making it a little bit harder for fires to spread from one side of your home to the other. This can give you the precious time you need to get out of your home safely in the event of a fire.

Gutters

While it might sound a bit odd to some people, your gutters play a big role in keeping your home safe from fires. Fires tend to work their way up to your home and spread to anything that’s highly flammable. Over time, the leaves your gutters are filled with become increasingly dry and will act as the perfect fuel for a big fire to spread to your home. This is why cleaning your gutters regularly is one of the best ways to fireproof your home.

Speaking of gutters, you might want to consider adding a little bit of extra protection to your gutters. While keeping your gutters clean helps prevent dry leaves from becoming tinder for a fire, having a good gutter guard keeps those leaves out in the first place. The All Flow Ember Proof Gutter Guard is a particularly interesting option because it keeps leaves and debris out of your gutter and has fireproof properties to protect your home. These gutter guards are CSIRO tested for fire safety and meet the Australian Standards for bushfire attack levels, offering some of the best protection you can buy for your home.

Fire retardants

Every little measure you can take to fireproof your home makes a big difference. While there’s no way to completely stop a bushfire from spreading to your home, there are ways to minimize the damage. One of the best things you can do if you don’t want your home to swiftly go up in flames when a fire occurs is treat your home with fire-retardant sprays.

The best part about these fire-retardant sprays is that you don’t have to apply them all over your home. For the best results, simply use this spray wherever you think there’s a high chance of a fire occurring. This could be in a room where you’re using a portable heater or a part of your house that’s right near lots of dry vegetation. These chemicals form a barrier between the fire and your home to keep fires from spreading.

The thought of a bushfire spreading to your home is a scary one, but there are ways to minimize the risk of that happening. With fireproof building and gutter guards, a little common sense and fire retardant sprays, you can give your home the protection it needs to keep from being engulfed in flames.