It is your responsibility to prepare yourself, your family and your home for the threat of bush fire.

View the full Prepare, Act, Survive Bush Fire Protection Plan (PDF File, 4.8mb) guide here.

There are four key considerations when dealing with bush fire, they are:

1. The safety of you and your family
2. The defendability of your property
3. The protection of irreplaceable valuables and important documents
4. The maintenance of adequate levels of insurance

Prepare a Bush Fire Survival Plan

One of the most important decisions you need to make to protect you and your family is will you leave early or stay and defend a well prepared property.

Regardless of your decision, preparation is the key to survival.

What will you do to be safe?

• If you are going to leave - prepare for where you are going to go, how you are going to get there and and what you are going to take.
• If you are going to stay, you must have a plan for how you are going to survive and where you will shelter. Know what equipment you will need.
• Have a contingency plan in case things don't go according to plan.

Prepare Yourself

Bush fires can impact the healt, safety and welfare of you and your family. Being involved in a fire will be one of the most traumatic experiences of your life.

• You need to be both mentally and physically prepared to carry out your survival plan.
• Include the whole family in creating your Bush Fire Survival Plan.
• Prepare your bush fire survival kit.

Prepare Your Property

There are a number of measures you can take to prepare your home and property for a bush fire.

Begin by identifying the potential fire risks around your home.

• View the home protection diagram contained in the Prepare, Act, Survive Bush Fire Protection Plan (PDF File, 4.8mb) as a guide to preparing your home.
• On days of catastrophic fire danger, the safest option is for you and your family to leave early. Even well prepared and constructed homes will not be safe.
• On days of extreme fire danger, leaving early will always be the safest option for you and your family. Staying and defending should only be considered if your home is well prepared, specifically designed and constructed for bush fire and you are capable of actively defending it.

The RFS Bush Fire Household Assessment Tool will help you make an informed decision, the assessment tool is available from the NSW Rural Fire Service web site.

Act

You need to act decisevely in accordance with your bush fire survival plan when bush fires threaten.

Fires can threaten suddenly and without warning so you must be prepared to act without receiving any emergency warning.

Keep Informed

• Know what the fire danger rating is for your area.
• Watch for signs of fire, especially smoke and flames.
• If you receive a Bush Fire Alert, take it seriously and act promptly.
• Look and listen for information on TV, radio, the internet, mobile phones and through speaking with neighbours.

Follow your Bush Fire Survival Plan

• Don't wait and see. Leaving late is the most dangerous option.
• Only consider staying and defending if you and your property are currently well prepared.

Survive

Your survival depends on your preparations and the decisions you make.

People are More Important than Houses

• Your life and your family's lives are always your first priority during bush fires.

Have a Contingency Plan

The safest option is always to be away from the fire, but that may not always be possible so regardless of your plan to leave early or stay and defend a well prepared property, you must have a contingency plan.

• Identify your nearest Neighbourhood Safer Place or other locations that may provide you with greater protection.