2 minute read
Be bushfire prepared
Do you know what to do in a bushfire?
The recent fires around Peregian remind us all that we need to be bushfire aware.
We live in an area that is not immune to the devastating effects of bushfires.
If you don’t think you’re at risk, the Queensland Rural Fire Service (QFRS) wants you to ask yourself the following questions:
Do you live within a few kilometres of bushland?
Does your local area have a bushfire history?
Do you have trees and shrubs within 20m of your house?
Is your home built on a slope?
If you answer yes to any of these questions, you are likely to be at a heightened risk.
The QFRS suggests that we all take some time to be prepared.
Prepare your home, property and family now and have your bushfire survival plan in place before a bushfire strikes.
If you do not have a bushfire survival plan, the QFRS website (www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au/BushFire_Safety) has an easy-to-use guide to help you create one.
The website looks at what you can do to prepare for bushfire season, what to consider if you plan to stay in the event of a bushfire, what you need to know if you decide to leave early, and how to keep up to date with information on fire risks and situations.
In the event of a fire, here’s what QFRS suggests: Activate your bushfire survival plan.
Advise family and friends of your plan. Listen to your local radio station or visit the QFRS website for regular updates.
Close windows and doors to minimise smoke exposure.
If you suffer from a respiratory condition, keep your medication close by.
Drive with caution in low visibility conditions.
Contact your neighbours to check if they need help to prepare for the bushfire.
Pack important documents and essential items (eg, passports, birth certificates, prescription medication, food and water, and protective clothing) in case you need to leave the area.
Put on protective clothing (eg, a longsleeved cotton shirt, boots with thick soles).
Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Bring pets inside - restrain them with a leash, a cage or inside a secure room - and provide them with plenty of water.
Take action to protect your livestock.
Move flammable materials such as doormats, wheelie bins and outdoor furniture away from your house.
Fill containers such as your bath, sinks and buckets with water so you have access to drinking water and firefighting water.
Close windows and doors, sealing the gaps under doors and screens with wet towels to keep smoke out of the house.
Knowing a few of these simple things could help save your life or that of a loved one or neighbour.
Are you still unsure what to do?
