In a joint initiative with the NSW RFS, State Emergency Service and the Red Cross, the NRMA has launched the 'First Saturday' campaign, encouraging the community to dedicate the first Saturday of each month from September to increase the safety of their home.

In the wake of the previous bushfire season which saw 3000 homes destroyed across the country, the initiative aims to provide simple tangible actions for people to prepare for the next season.

Riverina RFS district officer Bradley Stewart said firefighters across the state found it more difficult to save properties during the fires that had not been properly prepared.

He said there were five main actions people could take to prepare their homes, and those actions should be taken regularly.

"It's no different than changing your batteries on your smoke detectors at the beginning and ending of daylight savings," he said.

Overhanging trees and shrubs should be trimmed regularly, lawns should be mowed frequently and a protection zone of about 10-15 metres from the house should be established for those in bushfire-risk areas.

Anyone planning to stay and defend a home should make sure they have working hoses that reach around the house and have adequate water supply that is not dependent on an electric pump.

Leaf litter should be cleaned from gutters and potentially flammable items like firewood stocks or old furniture should be removed from around the outside of the house during summer to reduce the risk of falling embers catching alight.

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Mr Stewart said leaf litter and flammable items could act as 'ember beds' and put a house at risk long after the fire had passed.

"90 per cent of homes that are lost to bushfires occur through ember impact, it is not the actual fire itself impacting the structure that causes the loss of the home, it's embers," he said.

He said these actions were not just for rural properties, with natural areas like Willans Hill and Pomingalarna Reserve and even overgrown vacant lots still posing a risk to nearby properties through Wagga.

"It's important that everyone, regardless of where they live in these areas of NSW, actively maintains their block," Mr Stewart said.

He said while a well-prepared home could be safely defended on very high to severe fire danger days, only purpose-built homes could be defended during extreme to catastrophic days, so it was important to gain an understanding of the different fire ratings and form a plan about when to leave and where to go.

Mr Stewart said there were numerous resources on the RFS website for households to read together to form a plan.