Source: Victoria Country Fire Authority
Meredith residents Jeff and Marg Cooper have been praised for their preparation efforts at their property ahead of the fire season, as their new sprinkling system saved their house this summer.
When a grassfire ignited on January 9 on Shelford-Mount Mercer Road, burning more than 2,200 hectares on the edge of their home, it was their early work throughout the pre-season that helped set their property up to defend itself.
“About 18 months ago I decided to upgrade the watering system around the garden, particularly around the back of the house to the north and northwest to try and defend us if we did get a fire,” Jeff said.
“There was a huge build up of dry grass this year right around the river.
“We’ve had three recent fires, and you do start to lose confidence a bit, and they’ve all come from the same direction from the northwest wind, and for some unknown reason, the wind always changes into the southwest and that’s what brings the fire back to us.”
Jeff said the winning formula was installing 35 new sprinklers in a horseshoe pattern around the garden and upgrading the pumps that come out of his dam.
“I used to have one dam pump servicing the whole property, but now I have three,” Jeff said.
“We put a horseshoe of sprinklers on the north west side, right around to the south outside the garden that gave us a bit of a green belt.
“I also set up sprinklers and hoses with high pressure nozzles along my verandas on each side of the house and on the back of the machinery shed.
“That morning, I created what I call a stooge, which works as a stand to firmly hold a hose on a particular angle without it needing to be held. This allowed water to be sprayed all day.
“To supply power to our water pump when the electricity dropped out, I had a generator and diesel pump connected to the system as a backup.
“The fire burnt to the green belt and stopped. It was in the right spot thankfully, and it saved us.”
CFA Commander Mark Collins visited the property and gave them a gold star for the work they had done, while Meredith Fire Brigade Captain Josh Medley said it stemmed as the perfect fallback base.
“The fire pretty much burned up to where the sprinklers finished and the place was in good nick, they did a great job,” Mark said.
“Knowing Jeff and Marg well, and how they prepare, we knew that their property would be a great base for us to safely tackle that edge of the fire,” Josh said.
During spring, Jeff, who is an 80-year-old farmer, had anticipated a fire this season so he continued to ensure excess grass was well away from the house through regular mowing.
“We really want to stay in the country, and we’re getting to the age where we ask ourselves, should we be here? But we like living here,” Jeff said.
“So if you can, you can make it safe for yourself so it takes the pressure off. When you get to this age, it’s not a good thought having to rebuild your house.
“My family has been here for 98 years, and I’ve been on this property for 80 and I’m currently remodeling the old house I grew up in.”
As the fire went through the area, Jeff said the local CFA trucks were out in force and crews did a great job alongside the South Australian firefighters.
“The fire just comes in and burns what it can and passes, and the local brigade were here to put out spot fires. They saved many houses down the road,” Jeff said.
“We had helicopters here pulling water out of the dam, and filling fire trucks. We had a nice little supply of water for the job, which is critical.
“The best water is the water you use before the fire season – if you have enough to keep your grass green. It is all about prevention.
“We lost a lot of fences, but they’re pretty easy to put back up. There is a lot to clean up, but it’s not out of the way work.
“We didn’t lose a building. We’ve got our house, a studio, a big machinery shed and a workshop right on the complex here and nothing burned. We are very lucky.”
Find out more about how you can prepare your property for fire at www.cfa.vic.gov.au/prepare.