Preparing for a bushfire

Preparing for the upcoming bushfire season can help reduce the impact and damage to your home. Here's what you can do.

Prepare your home:

• Draw up a Home Emergency Plan that includes where you and your family will go if you have to evacuate your home and how you will contact each other if separated.
• Prepare an emergency pack containing tinned food, a tin-opener, water, a first-aid kit, blankets, warm clothing, spare batteries, matches, a battery-powered radio and gloves.
• Gather sentimental, important and valuable items, documents and photos that you can take with you should you need to evacuate.
• Clear leaves from gutters, roofs and downpipes; mow your lawn; and trim low-lying branches around your home.
• Fit quality metal leaf guards on gutters.
• Equip your premises with a sufficient number of fire extinguishers.
• Tidy your back yard and move flammable material such as piles of wood, paper, boxes, crates
  and garden furniture away from your home.
• Speak to your broker or insurance provider to review your insurance. Make sure you know what your insurance covers, and that the sum you are insured for covers the replacement value of the items you wish to insure.

During a bushfire:

• Contact 000 or your local SES in any emergency. Use a battery-powered radio to monitor your local radio station for updates on the bushfire, weather, power supply, emergency warnings and evacuation alerts.
• Close all windows, shutters and doors. Plug any gaps with wet towels.
• Wear protective clothing.
• Before you leave the premises turn off gas and power.
• If you can, safely evacuate.
• Monitor and follow the advice of emergency officials.

After a bushfire:

• If there is any danger, contact 000 or your Local SES.
• Stay away from fallen power lines and anything that they may be touching. Also avoid damaged gas lines.
• Check for small spot fires on your premises and extinguish them if possible.
• Once the danger has passed, take photos of damaged or destroyed items before disposing of them to assist in any insurance claims.
• Speak to your broker or insurance provider to lodge your claim, or make a claim online at bankvic.com.au or call 13 63 73.

We’re here to help

If you need help with your insurance, please visit bankvic.com.au/insurance or contact us on 13 63 73 for a free no-obligation quote.

References: A waiting period may apply to cyclone, flood, grassfire or bushfire claims. Please refer to your PDS, KFS, policy schedule, and Certificate of Insurance for full details, terms and conditions and to check whether this applies to you. Please note the information in this article is general in nature and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any decisions based on this article. This article has been prepared by Allianz Australia Insurance Limited ABN 15 000 122 850 AFSL 234708 (“Allianz”). Information contained in this article is accurate as at November 2021 and may be subject to change. In some cases information has been provided to us by third parties and while that information is believed to be accurate and reliable, its accuracy is not guaranteed in any way. Any opinions expressed constitute our views at the time of issue and are subject to change. Neither Allianz, nor its employees or directors give any warranty of accuracy or accept responsibility for any loss or liability incurred by you in respect of any error, omission or misrepresentation in this article. Allianz Australia Insurance Limited ABN 15 000 122 850 AFSL 234708 10 Carrington Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Terms and conditions: Police Financial Services Limited –– trading as BankVic ABN 33 087 651 661 AFS Licence No. 240293 arranges Home and Content, Landlord, Motor and/or Caravan & Trailer insurance as an agent of the insurer Allianz Australia Insurance Limited (Allianz) ABN 15 000 122 850 AFS Licence No. 234708. We do not provide any advice on this insurance based on any consideration of your objectives, financial situation or needs. Policy terms, conditions, limits and exclusions apply. Before making a decision, please consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (PDS), Home , Landlord, Motor and/or Caravan & Trailer PDS and relevant key fact sheet (KFS) , Home Buildings, Home Contents, Landlord Buildings and/or Landlord Contents KFS. The Target Market Determinations are available by calling 13 63 73. If you purchase this insurance, we will receive a commission that is a percentage of the premium.