NAB News

Ever thought about the dangers every day household items such as a rubbish bin or doormat could pose in a bushfire?

It’s something Greg Webb is very aware of.

He and his wife Alex’s home was the heart of their family for two generations, before it was lost during bushfires in Shoalhaven, NSW on New Year’s Eve, 2019.

“I saw a flash of flames across the lake and that’s when my whole life changed. Eighteen minutes later I was out there trying to save this house from a bushfire,” Mr Webb said.

“The movies can’t ever portray what it smells, tastes and sounds like to experience a bushfire and fight to save your home, then watch it burn down in a matter of minutes right in front of your eyes.

“And following that trauma, the recovery and rebuilding process is harder than anyone can possibly expect…I felt utterly lost…I’m 66 and I never imagined I would be building at my age.”

Greg and Alex are rebuilding a 5-star resilient home, following the FORTIS Principles, developed by the Resilient Building Council in response to community requests for help to build back better.

Practical tips to boost your home’s bushfire resilience

With the recent wildfire disaster in LA, and bushfires closer to home in the Grampians, making sure their home is resilient to bushfires is top of mind for many Australians.

In these videos, Greg shares top tips from the Resilient Building Council to help Australians protect their homes from bushfire.

• Store highly-combustible household items at a distance from the house
  Move anything that can catch fire easily, such as doormats, garden furniture, gas bottles and, most importantly, rubbish bins, away from the home.
• Cheap hacks 
  • Strengthen your home’s exterior: seal any gaps in your home’s outer shell with fire-rated sealant
  • Always keep your gutters clean, and as an extra measure, install a fire-resistant gutter guard
  • Install ember mesh to protect any external openings like doors or windows
• Plant a garden that protects from bushfires 
  • Create a non-combustible pathway around your home to help protect it from bushfires– switch wooden mulch for concrete pavers or gravel
  • Plant native plants like kangaroo paw around your home’s perimeter – native plants are affordable and can be more fire resistant.

NAB Ready Together

As Australians continue to battle the threats of bushfires, floods and cyclones each year, homes are destroyed, and lives are devastated.

NAB Ready Together is NAB’s investment in supporting Australians to withstand and recover from natural disasters. When communities are threatened by natural disasters, we will help respond. It’s all part of NAB’s vision to become the most customer centric company in Australia and New Zealand.

In the last year NAB and NAB Foundation have provided $2.9m total funding to support Australians affected by natural disasters, and funded more than $500,000 in disaster relief grants to more than 300 customers and over 100 colleagues.

Current natural disaster support

NAB has opened applications for $1000 Disaster Relief Grants for customers severely impacted by the New South Wales severe weather and storms. Visit the NAB website to check eligibility criteria and apply online.

In 2022 NAB partnered with Resilient Building Council to develop tools to help customers to retrofit their homes to be more bushfire resilient in FY22. With NAB’s support the Resilient Building Council’s Bushfire Resilience Rating System and self-assessment app was developed.

Complete your free Bushfire Resilience Rating Home Self-assessment and receive a tailored report to improve your resilience at the Resilient Building Council website.