Clonbinane Rural Fire Brigade - Wandong, Victoria, Australia

WHATS NEWS ARTICLE - OCTOBER 2024

WHATS NEWS ARTICLE - NOVEMBER 2024

With summer fast approaching now is the time to ensure you have a bushfire plan in place in case an emergency occurs. During emergencies not everyone is able to think clearly therefore it is best to take steps to get prepared before the fire season.

Things to consider when making a bushfire plan include;

Should I leave early?

Leaving early is the safest option to protect yourself and your family.

This means leaving the area before there are any signs of a fire – you may consider leaving on certain fire danger rating days. By leaving early you are avoiding panic, being trapped, making the wrong choices and risking serious injury or death

Defending Your Property

Planning to stay and defend is a big decision.

By staying and defending your property to are putting yourself and your family at serious risk of death or injury from uncontrollable fires on Extreme and Catastrophic fire danger days. Most homes in bushfire risk areas are not designed for Catastrophic conditions and we cannot guarantee that we will be able to get a fire truck to you. For more information about defending your property please visit the CFA website cfa.vic.gov.au – the information provided on this page can help you decide whether you are capable of defending your property or not, you can also find information about the risks and preparations involved to defend your property

Ho to plan

All family memwbers should be involved in making your fire plan, as each member may have different needs that need to be considered.

Information and templates can be found at cfa.vic.gov.au in the Fire Ready Kit.

1. Which Fire Danger Rating is your trigger to leave?

2. Will you leave early that morning or the night before?

3. Where will you go?

4. What route will you take and what is your alternative in the event that a fire is already in the area?

5. What will you take with you?

6. What do you need to organise for your pets or livestock?

7. Who do you need to keep informed of your movements?

8. Is there anyone outside your household who you need to help or check up on?

9. How will you stay informed about warnings and updates?

What will you do if there is a fire in the area and you cannot leave?

Remember to decide who will do what as part of your plan.

Your destination and journey

Where will you go when you leave? It’s up to you to decide on a suitable place to go when you leave early on a fire risk day. Things to consider include going to areas that are low risk such as, visiting a friend/family’s house or community facilities such as libraries, shopping centres, swimming pools or cinemas. Communicate with your family and friends about how you’ll know when to leave and where to go to stay safe. If you rely on others for care and support, your only safe option on serious fire risk days is to leave early – never wait to receive a warning.

Why write down your plan?

Writing down you plan and having it accessible to all family members is important as you may not be able to think clearly if you’re surrounded by smoke, heat and flames.

If you do not already have a plan in place the CFA have a template that can be used bushfire planning template – Leaving early (PDF 2.6MB) – this can be found on the CFA website.

Share your bushfire plan

Bushfires can cause a lot of stress to neighbours and loved ones especially if they do not know where you are, or what your plans are in an emergency.

It is best to share your plan with family, friends and neighbours.

Remember, any bushfire plan – written or not – is better than no plan.