Containment Lines
Asset Protection
In November 2022 Get Bushfire Ready, a local Wollombi Valley contractor was commissioned to instal Containment Lines around the built assets on properties within the project area.
Containment lines are essentially mineral earth (dirt) pathways that define Asset Protection Zones (APZ) and Strategic Fire Advantage Zones (SFAZ). The lines are very effective in stopping a slow moving ground fires, such as we experienced in 2019. They also help crews tackle an incoming fire threat more effectively, by providing easier access to the fire line.
In most fire emergencies, it is the fire that dictates the action of firefighters. It is seldom that a landholder will have a comprehensive defence plan in place that allows a crew to attack the fire front, on their terms, at a place of their choosing.
Containment lines are also used to define burn sectors, when undertaking cool burns, to manage fuel loads.
Where
When deciding where to create a containment line, there are some important considerations.
What do you want to protect?
Where your threat assessment suggests the fire will come from?
Will the line be easy to walk with equipment?
How easy will it be to maintain?
How
There are a few tools that can make the job easier.
Rake Hoe - The cheapest option and most common.
Clearing Saw - The professionals’ choice.
Leaf Blower - Powerful backpacks are multi purpose.
Tractor & Slasher - The obvious choice on the flat.
Tractor and Rake - To clear the ground of all fuel
Investing in the more expensive equipment as a community, shares the cost and helps everybody implement a common strategy.
If you have the time and equipment and the landscape is suitable, a nice flat wide containment line can be quickly maintained with a ride-on mower.
And when not stopping fires, they make a great walking tracks
Make it easy
