Bushfire Survival Plan
You and your family's safety and survival during a bushfire will depend on how prepared you are, and the decisions you make.
Your Bushfire Survival Plan outlines:
- what you need to do to help safeguard your property
- what actions each member of your family will take on fire risk days and if a fire threatens.
A good plan:
- is prepared well before the Fire Danger Season and reviewed each year
- is written down, so that the details are to hand when you need them
- is practiced regularly so you know how it will go on the day
- is created with the whole family and covers everyone, including the young and elderly
- includes what to do:
- before the Fire Danger Season
- on a Total Fire Ban day
- during a bushfire
- after a bushfire
- can adapt to unforeseen circumstances.
Making a choice when a bushfire threatens is too late. Most people who die in bushfires die leaving their homes at the last moment. Leaving late is a deadly option.
A good plan will outline when you will stay and defend your property and when you will leave early.
Unexpected things can happen in an emergency so you will need to adapt to changing circumstances and have a plan that will work in different situations.
Your plan should consider questions like:
- will it need to be different on weekends or weekdays?
- what if the children are at school?
- what if you have house guests or someone is home sick?
- what affects do COVID-19 restrictions have on my plan?
You may also decide to have different plans to suit the daily Fire Danger Rating and have one plan on days where the Fire Danger Rating is forecast to be Severe and a different plan when the Fire Danger Rating is forecast to be Catastrophic.
- Our Guide to Preparing for and Surviving the Bushfire Season will help you to develop your household Bushfire Survival Plan
- Find out more about including your children in your bushfire survival plan, and by listening to what your kids have to say about what they can do
- Information for businesses will help you plan your organisation's Bushfire Survival Plan
- If you need more information or have questions contact the Information Hotline on 1800 362 361 (TTY 133 677)
- Joining a Community Fire Safe group will help you develop a bushfire survival plan that suits your household, with help from your neighbours and the CFS
- Find out more about Fire Danger Ratings
- Create a Bushfire Survival Plan (Template)
- Order brochures