If your house is located at the top of a slope, clear the areas below your house. You can also use cut-and-fill and terracing or retaining walls and earth embankments, to act as effective barriers against the spread of fire burning uphill.

Fire spreads much faster going uphill than downhill, and the steepness of the slope will influence how fast a bushfire spreads. The general rule is that for every 10 degrees of slope, a fire will double its rate of spread if moving in the direction of the prevailing wind. 

Fires spreading uphill also have increased flame lengths. Crown fires in large trees are often associated with an uphill run of fire or fire runs driven by very strong winds.

The maintenance of landscaping has a significant impact on the vulnerability of your home to a bushfire. You should include regular garden maintenance in your bushfire survival plan. Areas of unmanaged vegetation can increase the impacts of a bushfire. This can reduce the chances of people and buildings surviving the event. You should:

• remove dead leaves, branches and loose bark from trees
• remove dead twigs, leaves and needles from shrubs and other smaller plants
• prune excess foliage (especially dead or dry foliage) from trees, shrubs and other woody plants
• remove the lower branches of trees. This reduces the chances for a surface fire to burn up into the canopy – remove branches up to 1.5 metres above the ground, but specific heights will depend on the age of the tree and its species
• keep all lawn and grasses short to reduce fuel load and minimise the chances of surface fire
• trim trees and other vegetation near powerlines.

Trees usually provide fuel for bushfires to burn. However, when used strategically they can protect people and buildings from wind and radiant heat exposure. They can also be used to filter embers and flying debris. You should choose species that retain green leaves during bushfire season. Select, plant and maintain trees carefully.

Choose trees that don't:

• Produce excessive amounts of leaf litter, fallen bark or woody debris.
• Have loose, flaky, stringy or ribbon-like bark that can spread fire to the canopy. This can become a dangerous source of fine fuel.

Trees must also be positioned carefully. Make sure you keep trees away from buildings, water supplies, powerlines, accessways, exit routes and defendable spaces. You should also separate large trees to minimise the spread of fire, especially canopy-to-canopy fires.

Consider planting lawns and grasses in strategic locations. This can break up areas of larger, more combustible vegetation. A well-irrigated and maintained lawn can be an effective firebreak. This can be successful when combined with non-combustible features like:

• pathways
• fences
• stone walls.

Try choosing plants that have fire-resistant characteristics and remain green through the summer.

Consider planting a lawn to separate larger, dense areas of trees and shrubs. You should keep lawn and grasses short, well-watered and clear of debris.

Trees near your house, or overhanging the roof, drop leaves and debris. This can gather in gutters, increasing the risk of ignition from ember attack.

Fallen branches can block gutters and damage roof cladding or structures. This can increase the risk of embers entering the roof space. If this occurs, it can damage the building envelope, windows, and doors.

Fallen trees damaging the external building can increase the risk of embers entering the building and igniting contents. 

Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) is a system used in Australia to assess the bushfire risk of a property. By assessing the risk of being impacted, BAL informs building construction in bushfire-prone zones. All new homes in bushfire-prone areas must have a BAL assessment. For older houses, a BAL may not be available. A BAL assessment is beneficial as it helps you understand your bushfire risk and provides information on how to retrofit a home to improve resilience.

• BAL Low: House is in a place where risk of bushfires are low. Therefore, use of specific construction materials are not required.
• BAL 12.5: There is a chance of embers reaching the house and resulting in ignition.
• BAL 19: The risk is higher. Potential for more embers that could result in ignition with increasing heat flux.
• BAL 29: Lots of embers, more heat, and even debris that could be blown towards your house.
• BAL 40: Increased risk. Expect lots of embers, more heat, and there is a good chance flames could reach your house.
• BAL FZ: This is the highest risk. It means your house could be right in the middle of a fire, with flames touching it and everything getting extremely hot.

Each BAL rating relates to specific construction requirements. Therefore, obtaining a BAL for your house is important to select construction materials appropriate to your BAL 

Where you build a property can help minimise the chance of damage from a bushfire. This action is important in the design stage of your home, when you choose where to site it. This should reflect the anticipated level of bushfire attack. This is important for larger rural properties, where there may be flexibility in positioning your house.

Wind attack can damage buildings, spread debris, and promote the spread of fire. Locate your building in places with low wind exposure. Avoid the top or side of ridges as these locations are vulnerable to wind attack.

Know your 'Bushfire Attack Level' (BAL). Your BAL considers the weather, slope, and distance from vegetation. Knowing your BAL can help you make decisions to reduce your bushfire risk. It can help you decide where to site your home, and other decisions such as strategic landscaping and appropriate construction materials.

Topography is vital in positioning your home. Fire increases in intensity as it moves up a slope. It is important to not site your home near vegetation that has a rising slope under it. You could also consider cutting into a hill and using slab construction rather than elevating floors. This reduces exposure of more surfaces to radiant heat.

Try to avoid siting your house near trees. If you have to, try to create a separation distance of 1.5 times the height of the tallest tree. Maintain proper maintenance of trees and avoid building directly under them. Simple roof designs can also reduce risk by reducing debris build up.

The positioning of your home should allow for access and escape. Aim to include a suitable access road for emergency services if needed in a disaster. Make sure access allows firefighters to locate and access the water supply (whether mains or static water supply). Refer to your state or territory fire service to check the fittings required by your service.