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With a lack of rain and irrigation restrictions, the soil moisture levels have been alarmingly low and have put the Fire Service and farmers on high alert.

Farmers are already battling hard, trying to save their crops, culling their dairy herds and worrying about what they will feed them over the winter. The last thing they need is a scrub fire ripping through their farm, and even worse, through their house or sheds and machinery.

The cost of these events can run into the millions, in damage, liability to third parties and potentially massive firefighting bills.

Last week’s fire at Flock Hill covered hundreds of hectares and took a dozen aircraft and numerous fire crews several days to get under control. The eventual bill for this could easily run into seven figures and the Fire Service will be looking to recoup that cost, all the way down to the pies and soft drinks their crews were buying at the Springfield shop.

In some cases the culprit is easily identified, but when the source of the fire cannot be determined, the firefighting costs will be split between the properties that were affected.

To complicate matters even further, even those who narrowly escaped can get stung for part of that bill, as the Fire Service argues that their efforts prevented those properties and crops from being destroyed.

People living on a lifestyle block may see this as an issue for fulltime farmers on larger properties, but the risk for life style property owners is arguably even bigger. As the lifestyle blocks are smaller, the number of properties, vehicles and other valuables destroyed by a bush fire could be significantly higher than, for example, a remote area like Flock Hill.

Just ask the Nelson family who had to sell their home after a fire on their lifestyle block in 2009 destroyed a neighbouring property and forest. It was a heartbreaking tale for a family who thought they were covered after purchasing basic Public Liability insurance over the phone, without the insurance company seeing the property.

New Zealand property owners with standard Public Liability insurance are covered for damage to any goods owned by third par- ties, but only up to $250,000 for Forest and Rural Fires Act cover.

The insurance of this Nelson family paid for the burned neighbour’s house but they were blindsided by the firefighting bill of $1.2 million that was not covered in their Public Liability insurance.

A minimum of $1m forestry cover will cost around $70 a year. When you get insurance, make sure to get informed, independent advice from people who understand the particular issues and risks for rural properties and get the cover that includes machinery, crop and stock, third-party insurance and, of course, sufficient firefighting costs.

Being under-insured can be just as heartbreaking as being not insured at all, like some neighbours of the property owner who accidently started a massive scrub fire in Prebbleton in 2013.

Even if you are the most responsible farmer in the country, you can never be sure what your neighbour is up to, but you can protect yourself against any risks that may come from across the fence.

Your insurance company may enter into a lengthy legal battle for compensation from the guilty party or their insurance, but as long as your property is covered, you can quickly get on with rebuilding your life. In the meantime, keep your grass short, avoid any vegetation for at least three metres near your home, have water close to your buildings and make sure your water supply is reliable.

To learn more about fire risks and rural cover make an enquiry and we'll contact you.

Source: The Press 4 Feb 2015 http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/farming/opinion/65746601/rural-properties-need-firefighting-cover