Bushfire

Prepare. Act. Survive. A bushfire could be closer than you think. Prepare your home, property and family now and have your Bushfire Survival Plan in place before bushfire strikes

Prepare An unprepared property is not only at risk itself but may also present an increased danger for neighbours.

Will you leave early? If you plan to leave early then you must leave your home well before a bushfire threatens and travelling by road becomes hazardous.

Will you stay? Preparation is the key to survival; you will need to be mentally and physically ready and have a plan.

Tune into warnings

Don’t assume you will receive a warning as a fire approaches.

Every year bushfires put the lives and properties of Queenslanders at risk. Everyone has a part to play in bushfire mitigation and it is vitally important that we all take steps to ensure we prepare for bushfires. • Do you live within a few kilometres of bushland? • Does your local area have a bushfire history? • Is your home built on a slope? • Do you have trees and shrubs within 20m of your house? • Is your ‘Bushfire Survival Plan’ more than one year old?

If you answered ‘Yes’ to one or more of these questions you may be at risk in the event of a bushfire. Visit www.ruralfire.qld gov.au and develop a Bushfire Survival Plan.

You don’t have to live in the bush to be threatened by bushfire, just close enough to be affected by burning material, embers, and smoke.

PREPARE YOUR PLAN

Preparing and planning for bushfire is essential to your survival in a bushfire – people who plan and prepare for bushfires are more likely to survive than those that do not. • Prepare your Bushfire Survival Plan (BSP) – Ask your local Rural Fire Brigade, or Volunteer

Community Educator, for help. • Decide NOW if you will prepare and leave or prepare and stay. • Share your plans with your family and friends. • Check your local Fire Danger Rating on www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au regularly and understand the current fire risks.

PREPARE YOUR PROPERTY

Properties that are well prepared are far more likely to survive a bushfire, so everyone living in a bushfire prone area should prepare their property:

Clear space around buildings. Clear and remove undergrowth.

Fill any gaps in the eaves and around windows and door frames. Clear debris and grass from fence lines. Remove any fire hazards from around the house. Reduce debris in and around your property e.g. remove fallen palm fronds and piles of grass clippings, rake up bark and maintain your yard. Make sure you have appropriate water and firefighting equipment. Make sure your property has cleared access for fire trucks.

Please note: It is illegal to dump green waste over your fence line, including dumping on public land, parks, bushland and creeks. This activity can increase fuel for fires and put your property at risk.

ACT

TAKE ACTION TO SAVE YOUR LIFE.

• Report bushfire activity to triple zero (000) • Refer to your prepared Bushfire Survival Plan. • If you are going to prepare and leave notify your family and friends that you are leaving and tell them where you are going. • If you are going to prepare and stay, follow the plans you have made in your Bushfire Survival Plan to prepare your home and notify your family and friends that you are staying. • “Tune in” to the Bushfire Warnings and messages on www.qfes.qld.gov.au, QFES on social media and listen to your local radio.

SURVIVE

IF YOU HAVE LEFT EARLY

• Don’t return to your home until it is safe. • Remember to look out for dangers as you return home including: • Emergency crews working around the area. • Animals not behaving normally. • Trees that may have been weakened by the fire and can fall at any time. • Power lines that have come down or may fall and expose you. • Water and other infrastructure which may not be working.

For more information, visit www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au or read other PREPARE.ACT.SURVIVE. resources.

IF YOU HAVE STAYED

• Stay inside your home until the fire has passed. • Keep hydrated. • Check around your home for any possible embers. • Check on everyone in your home and make sure they are okay. • Keep tuned into the bushfire warnings and information. • Check around the outside of your house for spot fires when the immediate danger has passed. • Drink plenty of water. • Stay at your home until it is safe. • Stay “tuned in” for bushfire warnings and messages.