Handbooks and Publications - Fire Prevention | Page 12

Fire Prevention Tips
Teach children that matches arid lighters are dangerous tools (like knives),
not toys.

YARD AREAS
Particularly for those people living in warm, arid regions where bush fires are
common, it is wise to consider the flammability of the foliage used in your property.
The following are some plants that are naturally fire-resistant (some containing up
to 95% water).

Ground covers:
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Rosea Ice Plant (Drosanthemum Hispidum)
Jelly Beans (Sedum Rubrotinctum)
Trailing Gazania (Gazania Uniflora)
Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa Pratensis)
Rye Grass (Lolium)
White Clover (Trifolium Repens)

Shrubs:
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Oleander (Nerium Olender)
Elephant Bush (Portulacaria Afra Variegata)
Bluechalksticks (Senecio Serpens)
Common Lilac (Syringa Vulgaris)

Trees
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Gum Trees (Eucalyptus)
Carob (Ceratonia Siliqua)
California Pepper (Schinus Molle)
California Laurel (Umbellularia Californica)
Cottonwood (Populus Deltoides)

For fire-safety purposes, it is wise to plant shrubbery far enough away from your
house so that a burning bush will not ignite the building (approximately 25 feet).
Likewise, trees planted at least 15-20 feet apart a chain of fire from developing if one
of the trees happens to ignite.
At the very least, keep your yard neatly chopped and clean of old materials that may
readily ignite.
During the year 1999 the Grenada Fire responded to 90
rubbish/bush fires.

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