Fire

The view from my roof. Australia 2013.



The problem of fire is only going to get worse. As fire and drought are linked, here is a view of the future from a R. Scribber post.



(NCAR model study of global precipitation under moderate warming throughout the 21st Century. The scale is based on the Palmer Drought Severity index with values of -4 and lower at exceptional drought. Under this model run, most of the US is blanketed by exceptional drought conditions. Overall, drought is expected to originate in the south and central US and then expand north and eastward as human caused warming intensifies.)

Being prepared

Due to the nature of the habitat in Australia, fires have been an issue for as long as people have been here. The plants have adapted. The rest of the world, not so much. So here are some suggestions.

Don't have tall trees close to your house. Don't have big trees close together at all. There is a process called crowning. Blown embers will land on the top of the trees, trees not sufficiently apart will collectively burn. Once a big tree is on fire you have to have a very powerful hose to put it out. The radiant heat is simply too intense to be anywhere near it.
Mow the grass
Clean up leaves and dead branches particularly from your gutters. If they catch on fire, the fire will burn the eves of the house. Once they are on fire it goes into the roof.

Put a weeping hose and/or a sprinkler on your roof. A sprinkler like the one above is good for if you are fighting an ember attack. It covers a lot of ground lightly. A weeping hose (like for vegetable patches) will soak the gutters.

As stated before, the problem is that water pressure will drop. Everyone is going to be using their hoses, municipal pumps may lose electricity. You need a few things;

1. A diesel generator
2. A pressure sensitive electric pump
3. A water tank.
4. Long hoses
5. A caravan

It may seem like a lot, but you cannot afford to lose your house in times like these. It is more than pictures and memorabilia, it is a survival base for your family. If you are following this blog then you will have invested huge amounts of time and energy in ensuring that you can survive. Don't lose it.
The caravan is to be packed and the wife and kids booked in, through a reservation, to the closest safe caravan park.

If you border on forest, then you should probably get out. You should really be separated by a street or two from a potential fire front. Fighting an ember attack is one thing, a wall of flame is another, the radiant heat will kill you.

Plants

Not all plants are equal when it comes to fire. Get rid of the ones that burn easily. 
Australian
http://www.apsvic.org.au/plant_fire_resistant.html

Trees and bushes
http://www.wariapendi.com.au/hints-tips/fire-retardant-plants