Bushfire Screens and Mesh in the Blue Mountains

The NSW Rural Fire Service lists installing fine metal mesh screens on windows and doors among the ways to prepare a home. CSIRO says openable windows should be protected with a metal mesh to protect against ember attack, with apertures in the mesh less than 2mm, and to avoid plastic flyscreens, which melt.

What bushfire screens and mesh in the Blue Mountains actually involves

The RFS's list of basic maintenance tips includes: Install fine metal mesh screens on windows and doors. CSIRO advises metal mesh on windows that open, to guard against embers, with apertures in the mesh smaller than 2mm.

A fine metal mesh screen over an openable window — bushfire screens and mesh, Blue Mountains. Illustrative example.

What to avoid

Avoid plastic shutters and flyscreens. Such products melt in a bushfire and add a hazard of their own. CSIRO also says doors should be protected with a self-closing screened security door (apertures in the mesh should be less than 2mm).

Ask what the mesh is made of, how large its apertures are, and how it is fixed to the frame.

A fine metal mesh fixed over a painted timber window frame — bushfire screens and mesh, Blue Mountains. Illustrative example.

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