Bushfire and Emergency Preparedness

Sit down with your family and make a plan. Decide what you will do if there is:

• A bushfire
• A storm
• An earthquake or tsunami
• A chemical or gas leak

You cannot rely on tap water during a fire or emergency. Power cuts and fire damage can stop water supply and water tanks can run out quickly. Leaving early is the safest option so if you plan to stay, you need your own water tanks and a pump that works without electricity.

Think about how you will leave your home quickly, or how you will stay safe if you cannot leave. You can start making your plan using either of the below resources:

Prepare for a bushfire by using Bushfire Plan

Alternatively make your emergency plan using Person Centred Emergency Preparedness (PCEP) resources*

*PCEP is designed for people living with disabilities residing in a disaster prone area.

When you put together your emergency kit, you need to think about if you intend to evacuate or shelter at your property during an emergency.

A majority of Kwinana is bushfire-prone because we live near nature. If a bushfire is more likely to significantly impact your home, which could be the case if you live on a rural property, staying to defend or shelter can be very dangerous.

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services has detailed information for preparing your Emergency Kit.

See what items you should include in your emergency kit

Make sure your emergency plan includes your animals.

Department of Fire and Emergency Services has advice on how to relocate animals or keep them safe during emergencies.

Prepare an emergency plan for your pets or livestock

If you live in Western Australia, your home must have mains powered smoke alarms with battery backup. We recommend residents change their batteries annually.

• From 1 July 1997, all new homes must be built with mains powered smoke alarms.
• From 1 October 2009, all existing homes must have them before they are sold, rented out, or hired.

Smoke alarms help keep you and your family safe by warning you early if there is a fire.

Learn more about maintaining smoke alarms

Check additional smoke alarm requirements in Kwinana

• Throw away any food, drinks and medicines that have been exposed to heat, smoke or water, and any cans that are rusted, dented or swollen.
• Do not touch or use appliances, particularly electrical appliances that have been exposed to water, until you have an authorised service technician check them.
• Inspect your makeup and your medicine cabinet and throw out anything that has signs of soot, smoke discolouration or fire extinguisher dust. Dangerous chemicals can be ingested or be absorbed through your skin if you keep contaminated items.
• Low levels of ash on household surfaces are unlikely to cause short or long-term health effects. If anyone in your household is experiencing any health effects from the smoky conditions seek medical advice.

• Water in rainwater tanks on your property can be contaminated during or after a bushfire, either indirectly by ash, smoke, debris or directly by fire and fire fighting activities.
• Water testing is usually not necessary as contamination after a bushfire is usually obvious.
• If you think that your water tank has been contaminated in any way, you can still use the water to flush toilets, water the garden, wash clothes, wash clothes and fight fires.
• Ensure that all rainwater from the first good rainfall event after the fire is run to waste, as this may be contaminated by ash and other pollutants from the fire.

Find out more about water tanks on your property.

Find out more about rainwater tanks after a bushfire.

For further information, please visit the Department of Health. 

As soon as you can after a fire, contact your insurance company to report any damage or loss. They will need to send an assessor to your property to process your claim. Depending on their advice, you may be able to begin repairs and any rebuilding.

Otherwise, please contact the City’s Building Services on 08 9439 0472 who will provide further advice on repairs, demolition and rebuilding.

Buildings built before 1988 may contain asbestos cement (sometimes called ‘AC’ or ‘ACM’) sheeting in walls, roofs, floor underlays, eaves, chimney flues or asbestos in vinyl floor tiles and backing to sheet linoleum. These materials are generally not a health risk unless they are cut, broken, drilled or crushed, which releases asbestos fibres into the air.

During a bushfire, the amount of asbestos fibres released into the air is likely to be low. After a bushfire, asbestos fibres can be disturbed by clean-up work.

If you suspect that your property could be heavily contaminated, for example asbestos in the soil, do not start clean-up until you have been told it is safe.

Please call the City’s Environmental Health Services on 08 9439 0475 to seek advice about asbestos contamination. You may be required to engage a Worksafe licensed asbestos removalist.

Small unburned quantities (a few sheets or fragments) of broken or damaged asbestos cement material or debris under 10m² should be:

• wet down with a hose or bucket (not a pressure cleaner)
• carefully removed and wrapped securely in heavy duty plastic sheeting or bags
• wrapped in bundles and clearly labelled with the words ‘CAUTION ASBESTOS’
• taken to a landfill site approved to accept asbestos.

Please ensure that you wear personal protective clothing before commencement of asbestos removal.

Further information regarding asbestos, please visit Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety and Department of Health.

CCA-treated wood is commonly used in structures such as pergolas, decking, fencing and landscaping. After a fire, the ash from this wood contains up to 10 per cent (by weight) arsenic, copper and chromium.

Swallowing only a few grams of this can be harmful. Children, pets and other animals must be kept away from these ash areas until clean-up is completed.

• Ash should be double-bagged, sealed and taken directly to your local landfill.
• Damaged timber can also be taken to an approved landfill site.

For any damages to your septic and effluent disposal system, please contact the City’s Environmental Health Services on 08 9439 0475 to seek advice.

You can report a damaged bin on the City's website.

If you require a non-scheduled bin collection as a result of the fire incident (such as not being home to put the bin out or having additional food waste from power outage that does not fit in your bin) please contact City’s Waste Services on 08 9439 0401 to arrange an additional collection of your waste bin.

For disposal of building materials, household hazardous waste, demolition waste and asbestos, please contact the following disposal sites:

• City of Rockingham Millar Rd West, Baldivis – phone: 08 9528 8550
• City of Cockburn Henderson Waste Recovery Park, 920 Rockingham Rd Henderson – phone: 08 9411 3444

It’s likely that your gas, electricity and water have been shut off or disconnected during the fire. You will need to wait for the suppliers to send a qualified tradesperson to inspect and repair any damage, plus arrange for reconnection. If you are insured, your insurance company can organise this for you. If you are not, you will need to sort this out yourself. Make sure you get in touch with your utilities providers:

• Western Power (13 13 51)
• Alinta Gas (13 13 52)
• Water Corporation (13 13 75)
• Your phone and internet provider

Find more advice on the websites listed below. 

• Department of Fire and Emergency Services - Bushfire recovery
• Department of Health - After a bushfire - hazards on your property