Staying safe this summer
South Aussie summers bring many wonders, like balmy nights spent with friends and lazy holidays by the beach. The downside is living with the constant threat of bushfires across our tinder-dry landscape. If you live in a high-risk area and haven’t prepared, you need to act now.
Words: Andrew Rasch
Having lived in the Adelaide Hills on and off for 15 years and losing my childhood home in 2019’s Cudlee Creek fire, I’m no stranger to bushfire risk. In my household, everyone knows what to do on the most dangerous days. Do you?
Depending on the region, fire danger season starts as early as mid-October and finishes as late as the end of April. During these times, there are restrictions on lighting fires and activities such as using power tools. It’s important to mark the dates in your diary as a reminder when the laws and regulations apply.
Australia has four fire danger ratings – moderate, high, extreme and catastrophic – which the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) declares as part of its weather forecasts. The daily ratings don’t indicate the likelihood of bushfires occurring, but how dangerous they’d be if they did.
During bushfire season, my family monitors the BOM app every afternoon to check the fire danger rating for the next day. We also monitor the Alert SA app and the Country Fire Service (CFS) website for incidents or updates. On catastrophic days, we leave the house early until the danger has subsided.
PREPARING FOR BUSHFIRE SEASON
Living in a bushfire-risk area means being prepared ahead of summer. That includes making sure our property is ready and having a bushfire survival plan.
There’s a ‘go bag’ by the door with keys, chargers, hard drives, wallets, passports, and other personal documents. Before each season we pack a crate with items such as medications, clothes, toiletries, water, food, torches, portable memorabilia, and a woollen blanket. This is always accessible and ready to pack in the cars. We’ve also digitised as much information as possible and stored it in the digital cloud.
Before and during the season, we trim shrubs, pull weeds, clear gutters and declutter the yard as much as possible. We also test the petrol firefighting pump and make sure there’s enough water in the tank for the CFS to use if the worst were to happen.
WHAT TO DO AT YOUR PLACE
In the cooler months, it’s not uncommon to accumulate possessions under verandahs and around other outdoor structures.
CFS Director of Community Risk and Resilience Alison May (pictured) leads efforts to help SA communities become more prepared and resilient in the face of emergencies. Alison recommends removing items that floating embers could ignite, such as furniture, pet bedding, gas bottles and firewood.
“Embers can start a fire in your decking or roof before you’ve smelt smoke, so the fewer ignition points around the house the better,” Alison says. “Trim shrubs and trees close to your house or hanging over your roof and clean out your gutters.”
Bushfire survival information is available from the CFS and your local council.
A five-minute bushfire plan is available on the CFS website and can be modified to suit your circumstances. A bushfire plan helps people remember important information and be decisive in times of danger and high stress. That’s especially important for those with young children, as they’ll want to see their parents or caregivers in control and not panicking.
Alison says when creating a bushfire plan, it’s important to communicate with families, friends and neighbours.
CFS Director of Community Risk and Resilience Alison May.
“Speak to neighbours and loved ones and create a network so that people check in with others on bad fire days,” she says.
“If you have young kids, ask them to pack five things they want to keep in a pillowcase. This gives them a sense of control and can reduce their trauma in a bushfire event.
“Also consider whether your circumstances have changed and adjust your plan accordingly. For example, you may have had an injury or illness that makes you less mobile, or acquired new pets or livestock.”
People staying to defend their property need to be certain they’re up to it because it may be too late to leave if something unexpected happens.
“People often underestimate the physical and psychological demands of fighting a fire,” Alison says.
“It’s highly distressing, so if you’re unsure, it’s best not to be there.”
Even residents outside high-risk areas need to plan for bushfire season, as embers can travel several kilometres during a fire and threaten outer suburbs. Tourists holidaying in or transiting through risky areas on days of high fire danger should also have a plan.
“One year, I was at Brown Hill Creek during the night where campers were being woken by a car horn and a voice yelling at them to get out,” Alison says.
“They didn’t know what to grab or where to go. Luckily everyone was alright, but the experience traumatised them.”
THE SEASON'S OUTLOOK
Each year, the CFS consults its state and territory counterparts and the BOM to devise a seasonal outlook. This year South Australia had a relatively dry autumn and winter and record-high August temperatures in many parts. We’re also expected to face above-average minimum and maximum temperatures during this bushfire season.
Alison says low soil moisture, dry leaf litter and undergrowth are high-risk factors throughout bushfire season.
“Spring rains increase grass growth, which dries rapidly as temperatures rise, increasing the risk of fires,” Alison says.
“Regardless of seasonal forecasts, have a bushfire survival plan ready. It’s better to not need it than the other way around.”
DON'T WAIT UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE
- Check your insurance policies and consider whether you’re adequately covered.
- Write and practise a bushfire survival plan that reflects your specific circumstances.
- Monitor radio and online broadcasts and register for warnings on the Alert SA app.
- Leave your property the night before or early in the morning on days of life-threatening fire risk.
- Pack important documents and items and have them ready to go.
IMAGES: CFS, Getty.
