21 Sep 2018
CHILDREN, SCHOOL HOLIDAYS AND THE FIRE SEASON
Many of us know the feeling of relief when our kids are old enough to no longer require daily supervision and can stay at home unaccompanied after hours, on weekends and in school holidays. Less financial strain and they might even do some work around the house if you leave them a list!
What we might not always consider is how vulnerable our family are to things like fire when they are at home by themselves.
During this bush fire season you are strongly encouraged to review your fire plan, especially if you are in the position where you are able to leave children at home by themselves and you live in a bushfire prone area.
Local experience shows us that there might not be enough time to get home after hearing that there is a fire. Depending where the fire starts and the wind speeds, road closures can be in place before you know it. Police and the RFS cannot let you risk your life by entering an active fire zone.
On days of extreme and catastrophic fire weather, the safest option is to plan for no-one to be home at all (including pets where possible).
Emergency services will do their best to protect you and your family, but during a large fire they cannot be everywhere and you need a plan that goes beyond simply calling 000. Make sure that all the family know the plan is and when to use it.
Your fire plan needs to be flexible. A plan to race home and collect your children might not always be possible – you will also need a plan B. This might be that you buddy with a neighbour who is at home who you can rely on to evacuate your children if the situation arises. It might be that you organise for them to stay in town with friends on days of Total Fire Ban. On top of that, you should also prepare your home to reduce the fire risk as a fire passes, teach your children how to survive if a bushfire comes through and have available the equipment they need to survive ie. a wool blanket for cover etc.
Plan for this fire season; plan for your family to survive whatever emergencies are thrown at you. Whatever your plan is, any plan is better than no plan.
For more information visit the RFS website (www.rfs.nsw.gov.au) or contact your local brigade for advice.
Fire Danger Rating Scale (pdf 138kb)