Equipment you need to defend your property

16 min read

Defending your home will take a lot of water, equipment, and resources. It may take hours or even days of nonstop effort. Don't expect a fire truck to come and help you. If you decide to stay and defend your property, you will need to do it by yourself, so it's crucial to have the right firefighting equipment ready. Use the information on this page to plan what you need to defend your property and make sure you're prepared before bushfire season starts each year.

The advice on this page doesn't guarantee your survival. For the best chance of survival, always leave the night before or early in the morning on days of Extreme or Catastrophic Fire Danger.

Summary

You will need at least 10,000 litres of water.
You will need a firefighting pump that is protected from radiant heat.
You will need firefighting hoses that reach all the way around your home.
You will need Personal Protective Clothing (PPC), P2 masks, and even more water than you think.
Test your equipment before each fire season.
Have backup plans in case your equipment fails or things change.

Fighting a fire is dangerous, exhausting, and help may not arrive

Fighting a fire is extremely dangerous, and you shouldn't expect a fire truck to come help you. If you decide to fight a fire on or near your property, it's up to you to have the right equipment to defend it.

You'll need to work very hard before, during and after the fire, and you must be mentally and physically prepared for the challenge. Even professional firefighters face physical and psychological fatigue, so think carefully about whether you can handle it.

At a minimum, defending your property requires:

at least 10,000 litres of water
a non-electrical firefighting pump that is protected from radiant heat
firefighting hoses that reach all the way around your home
PPE clothing and P2 masks.

Your water supply must be independent from the mains (reticulated) water supply because you can't rely on mains water during a fire. Firefighters and others will be using the mains water, which may lower the water pressure and make it useless for you.

You will likely need closer to 40,000 litres of water—many people have used even more than this to defend their homes.

Protective clothing

Make a kit of protective clothing for every person who will defend your property. This clothing should cover you from head to toe to protect against radiant heat and flying sparks. Put it on as soon as you hear about a nearby fire. Remember, this clothing can only protect you from low heat. When the fire gets close, you'll need to shelter in a building.

Do not wear a t-shirt, shorts, thongs, or synthetic materials.

Checklist

What to wear for protection against radiant heat

Wide-brimmed hat to protect your head
Goggles to shield your eyes
P2 mask or scarf to protect your face and filter smoke
Long-sleeved, collared shirt with the collar up to protect your neck
Long pants made from natural fibres like cotton or denim (not stretchy denim)
Leather gardening gloves (not rubber or synthetic)
Sturdy boots with wool or cotton socks.

An interactive image of a man standing in a field wearing protective clothing. Red hot spots over different items of clothing provide further information about the image.

Water tanks and additional water storage

Install or set aside a 10,000-litre water tank for firefighting. If you plan to use the same tank for your domestic water supply, make sure you draw water for your home from above the 10,000-litre level. This way, you'll always have water available for firefighting.

It’s best to use tanks made of galvanised iron or concrete because plastic tanks can melt in heat. If you have to use a plastic tank, protect it by building a wall of bricks or metal around it. Another option is to bury the tank underground.

Properly setting up water tanks

Always remember to:

place the tank close to the buildings you want to protect
make sure you can easily get to the water
clear away plants around the tank.

You can also look at other options for water sources, like several smaller tanks, a dam (just remember it might dry up in summer), or a swimming pool.

A steel water tank near a backyard fence with Fire Water Tank Outlet written on it. The tank has a large firefighting outlet. It sits next to a gravel driveway and a lamp post is nearby.

Make a list of other places where you could strategically store water around your property

Think about using these items:

44-gallon (200-litre) drums
Rubbish bins (wheelie bins work well as long as they aren’t exposed to extreme heat)
Wheelbarrows
Troughs
Garden ponds.

Positioning these around your garden will give you easy access to water for putting out any nearby embers, so you don’t have to run to a tap on the other side of the house. It's best to keep these filled with water during bushfire season and to cover them for safety. If you can’t keep them filled, make sure to fill them up on days when there is a fire risk, because it will be too late to do it if a fire is coming.

Water supply and tank fittings

Above-ground pipes and fittings should be made from copper, brass, or steel. If your pipes are plastic, be sure to protect them from heat by covering or burying them.

Here are the recommended depths for putting in below-ground pipes:

if there will be vehicle traffic: 300 mm
under houses or concrete slabs: 75 mm
in all other places: 225 mm

For the fittings on above-ground tanks, they should be compatible with CFA standards. It's best to have a ‘T’ or ‘Y’-shaped fitting with two outlets—one for CFA and one for your own use.

This setup allows you to use hoses next to a CFA truck. The diagram below shows a ‘T’-shaped fitting that meets CFA requirements.

An interactive illustration of a pipe diagram showing different fittings to suit domestic and CFA firefighting connections. Red hotspots indicate further information about the illustration.

Best practices for water supply and tank fittings:

All pipes and valves between the water supply and the outlet must be at least 65 mm internal diameter.
If the tank is less than 20 meters from your house, the outlets should face away from the building. This will help fire trucks get access, if one ends up coming to your property. It can be dangerous if a fire truck has to fill up between the tank and a burning house.

Firefighting pumps

A complex system of pipes connecting both domestic water supply, via an electric on-demand pump alongside a petrol powered pump to provide water for bushfire firefighting.

You will likely need a firefighting pump to get water from your private water supply. If you have an electric pump, make sure you have a generator that can start and run it. Don’t count on mains power. Mains power will almost certainly be lost during a bushfire.

A good supplier can help you figure out what size pump you need. This depends on:

where the water comes from and how far it is
the size, length, and layout of the pipes
how many outlets you'll use at the same time, including any sprinkler outlets
the size and length of the hoses you'll use with the pump
whether a diesel or petrol pump is better for you.

Pump tasks to add to your pre-season bushfire plan checklist

Check your equipment: Test everything before each bushfire season to make sure it works.
Change the fuel in the pump: Replace old fuel, as it can stop the pump from working properly.
Teach everyone how to use the pump: Make sure all adults in your home know how to use it. Hold a quick training session.
Make backup plans: Have backup plans for what to do if your pump breaks. Keep spare parts, like a start-up rope, handy.

Remember, if you hear about a fire coming, you might not have much time to prepare. It's safest to be ready ahead of time.

Firefighting hoses

If you're buying firefighting hoses for the first time, the most important things to think about are the length and the material. Make sure the hoses are long enough to reach all around your house. You can measure the distance with a piece of string.

Fire-resistant hoses are better than regular garden hoses because garden hoses are made of plastic and can melt in a fire. Your supplier can help you choose the right hoses and suggest which ones will work with your pump.

Choose metal fittings instead of plastic ones. Metal fittings last longer, won't melt, and are more resistant to damage and corrosion.
Attach a firefighting hose fitting to your washing machine tap. This allows you to use your hoses indoors if needed.
Always have spare hose fittings ready and learn how to replace them when necessary.
Buy hose bandages to temporarily stop leaks. They can also help you identify areas where your hoses might be damaged.
Before bushfire season begins, check and clean your hoses, nozzles, and fittings for any blockages. Be aware that insects or mice may have built nests during the winter that could block your hoses.

Checklist

Useful household items for defending

If you plan to defend your home from fire, firefighting pumps and hoses are very important. In addition to your private firefighting equipment, you can also use some everyday household items:

Buckets - metal buckets are best because plastic ones can melt.
Mops - old-fashioned mops made of wood and metal with cotton heads are great when soaked in water to put out embers as they land.
Shovels and rakes - use these to push dirt onto embers or spot fires, or to break up burning materials.
Knapsacks or water sprayers - special firefighting knapsacks or regular weed sprayers from hardware stores can help put out spot fires from embers (make sure they are cleaned if used with chemicals). Remember that a 20-litre knapsack full of water will be very heavy.
Ladders - use them to check the ceiling and roof for embers.
Blankets and towels - use only wool or cotton to seal gaps under doors inside the house.
Torches - battery-powered or wind-up torches are both useful. Keep one in the roof space (inside the man-hole) to check for embers and another inside the house for when the power goes out during a fire.
Radio - a battery-powered or wind-up radio is important for fire warnings and updates.
Downpipe or gutter plugs - to fill your gutters with water, you need something to block the downpipes. you can use special gutter plugs, small sandbags, wet towels or tennis balls. You can also ask a plumber to put in shut-off valves on your downpipes.

If you're a farmer, learn more about the private fire fighting equipment used on farms.

Make sure it’s not stuck in a shed when you need it

There's no point in having firefighting equipment if it doesn't work properly or it's stored in your shed when a bushfire starts. Test your equipment before bushfire season begins and set it up the day before a high fire risk day.

Know all the risks involved in staying to defend

If you live in a high fire risk area and are thinking about staying to defend your property, you must know what to do before, during, and after a fire. To increase your chances of staying safe, make sure you have enough firefighting equipment and prepare your house and garden extensively before each bushfire season.

Explore what you need to know about defending your property

How to defend your property

Defending your property from bushfire is very risky. If you decide to stay to defend your property, you must be prepared for every stage of the fire. This page provides step-by-step advice on what to do before the fire arrives, how to shelter from radiant heat as the fire front passes, and what actions to take once the fire has moved on. Each stage is dangerous, so it's vital to have well-planned and practised strategies to protect yourself while defending your home.

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Defending your property

Getting your property ready for a bushfire takes careful planning. If you live in a bushfire-prone area and are thinking about staying to defend your home, you need to know how to properly prepare your property and what equipment you'll need. You also need to know how to actively defend your home before, during, and after a fire. This section will help you make a clear bushfire plan, prepare mentally and physically, and keep your property ready all year round.

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Resources

CFA Fire Ready Kit

Our Fire Ready Kit is an essential resource to help you plan for survival. It covers the basics—how fire behaves and how Fire Danger Ratings work—through to the practical steps needed to prepare your property before bushfire season.

The kit also explains what to do if a fire is in your area and you can’t leave. Downloading this resource is an important first step in getting prepared.

Download (PDF, 3.3 MB)

Defending your property - Bushfire survival planning template

This template is designed for people living in bushfire-prone areas. This template helps you make a clear bushfire plan, prepare different plans based on Fire Danger Ratings, and check off important tasks to get your property ready throughout the year.

If you choose to stay and defend, the template also guides you through the actions needed to actively defend your home and helps you understand the serious risks and unexpected problems that can arise, even if you are well-prepared.

Download (PDF, 2.5 MB)