You can be firewise!
We’ll help you along the way.
Bushfire risk is part of living in South Australia. And there is good reason to be prepared, long before you hear the water bombers make a low pass nearby: our page on bushfire risk shows why everyone needs to prepare. Even if you plan to leave early, you must be prepared because it may no longer be safe to leave.
The good news is: there’s a lot you can do. From having basic steps in place that will take less than an hour to complete, to more advanced actions and professional measures to reduce the risk to your home. It’s easy to protect yourself, the people you love, and the things you value most. Our page on what you can do gives a great overview.
The best part: we can help you become firewise. We’ll walk with you around your home and property, identifying weak points, and suggesting suitable measures to reduce your risk. See our services for more info. We’ll assist you becoming firewise — after all, we’re called FirewiseAssist for good reason.
“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”
(Benjamin Franklin)
Being prepared: invaluable.
Getting there: now $150 off
“It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark”, author Howard Ruff once quipped. In the same vein, it’s good getting prepared well ahead of the next fire danger season.
Spring is a the best time to become firewise. And as a sweetener, we are now offering our home inspections at a $150 off spring discount. Simply book by 30 November 2025 — click on the button below to get started.
What our customers say…
We invited Jackie and Patrick to assess our home in the bush on western KI. We thought if they spotted even one significant hole in our fire defences, their visit would be worthwhile.
They saw many. Some I knew about, but their visit gave me the extra motivation to fix them.
Their knowledge and experience led us to important and valuable ideas, connections, practical equipment, and strategies.
Kimball and Heidi Cuddihy, Kangaroo Island
I have lived in the Adelaide Hills for over 30 years and considered myself well prepared for each fire season. However, when Patrick and Jackie from Firewise Assist walked with me around my property, they were able to identify gaps in my home and property preparation that I hadn’t considered; practical tips that I plan on enacting before the weather warms up.
They also understood that we may need to make the bigger changes incrementally and helped me to prioritise a list of where to start. I enjoyed their professional yet friendly, warm approach.
Sarah, Hahndorf
I contacted Firewise Assist to assess my property as I was unsure how to start. My home is in an extreme risk location, and although I gained some knowledge from CFS talks, I required further individualised guidance.
The inspection report was comprehensive and straightforward. The assessment identified various strategies to enhance the protection of my home, many of which were simple and low-cost to implement.
Angela, McHarg Creek
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With the support of a professional and experienced team, you can trust that you’re on the right track to becoming firewise. Any worries whether you’re on the right path: a thing of the past.
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Our inspection report not only identifies the risks and vulnerabilities of your home — we also provide you with the resources to address them. The search for support is over.
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Sometimes the moments that never happen matter the most: with all firewise foundations in place and properly implemented, you’ll have a much lower risk of being devastated by a bushfire. Helping you protect the ones you love: that is our mission.
Benefits of being firewise
About us.
FirewiseAssist was founded by Jackie Horton and Patrick Bolte.
Jackie and Patrick are experienced in risk reduction and confident that greater home preparedness can contribute to more resilient communities. By offering home and property inspections, they seek to address a gap in current services.
Meet Jackie
Jackie Horton is a passionate advocate for bushfire preparedness and has delivered countless community seminars over more than 10 years with a key fire agency.
Recognising the risk at her own property inspired her to prepare and educate others.
Meet Patrick
Patrick Bolte has been advising international aid agencies on effective disaster risk reduction for the past 20 years. He also serves as a firefighter and has delivered several seminars on bushfire risk education.
As a resident of the Adelaide Hills, he is acutely aware of the risks to local communities — and translates the international experiences to practical steps every household can take.