How to prepare for a bushfire

Every state fire agency publishes a bushfire survival plan template. Use it — the questions it asks are the ones people fail to answer under pressure.

Decide the single most important thing first: will you leave, or will you stay and defend? For almost everyone the answer should be leave. Staying and defending requires a well-prepared property, an independent water supply, a pump that does not rely on mains power, protective clothing, physical fitness, and the ability to work in extreme heat and smoke for hours. Most households have none of these.

If you are leaving, set an objective trigger. Not 'when it looks bad' but something specific: on any day rated Extreme or Catastrophic, or when a fire is reported within a set distance, or at a specific time in the morning. Triggers that depend on judgement in the moment fail.

Decide where you will go, by which route, and by which alternative route. Fires close roads, and a plan with one road out is not a plan.

Agree what happens if the household is separated, where you will meet, and how you will communicate when networks are down. Write it on paper — phones lose charge and networks fail.

Australia uses a single national framework, the Australian Fire Danger Rating System. The ratings are Moderate, High, Extreme and Catastrophic, with a no-rating day below Moderate. Each one carries a specific instruction.

Moderate: plan and prepare. High: be ready to act; if a fire starts, your life may be at risk. Extreme: take action now to protect life and property; leaving early is the safest option. Catastrophic: for your survival, leave bushfire risk areas — homes are not designed to withstand fires in these conditions.

Warnings during an incident have three levels. Advice means a fire has started and there is no immediate danger. Watch and Act means conditions are changing and you need to start taking action. Emergency Warning means you are in danger and need to act immediately — it may already be too late to leave safely.

Do not wait for an Emergency Warning. The gap between Watch and Act and Emergency Warning can be minutes, and warnings depend on agencies having information they may not yet have. In a fast fire, no warning may arrive at all.

Install your state fire agency's app and enable notifications, and know at least two other information sources — ABC local radio remains the designated emergency broadcaster and works when data networks do not.

Most homes lost in bushfires are not destroyed by a wall of flame but by ember attack — burning material carried ahead of the fire, lodging in gutters, under decks, in vents and against woodpiles.

The highest-value work is therefore unglamorous: clear gutters of leaves, install metal gutter guards, seal gaps under the roofline and in vents, screen underfloor spaces, move firewood and gas bottles well away from the house, and remove flammable material from decks and against walls.

Maintain a defendable space around the building. Cut grass short, remove fine fuels, prune lower tree branches, and keep the area within several metres of the house free of shrubs and mulch. Check your local council and fire agency rules before removing vegetation — clearing is regulated in most areas and permits may be required.

If you may need to defend, you need water independent of mains supply and a pump that does not rely on grid electricity. Power fails routinely in fires, so an electric pump on mains power is not a plan.

Check your insurance annually. Underinsurance is a very common and very expensive discovery after a fire — rebuilding costs have risen sharply, and a sum insured set five years ago is often far short.

An emergency kit should be packed before the season and kept somewhere you can grab it: important documents or copies, a battery or wind-up radio, torches and spare batteries, a first aid kit, protective clothing — long sleeves and trousers in natural fibre, sturdy boots, leather gloves, a P2 mask, goggles — drinking water, medications, phone chargers and a battery pack, and pet supplies and carriers.

On a high-risk day, leave early — in the morning, not when you see smoke. Take pets with you; animals left behind are a common reason people return into danger.

Wear protective clothing even if you are only driving out. Radiant heat, not flame, is the main cause of injury and death, and synthetic fabric melts.

If you are caught in a car, which is dangerous and should be avoided: pull over in a clear area away from vegetation, park facing the direction of the fire, stay inside below window level, cover yourself with a woollen blanket, and stay in the vehicle until the fire front passes. A car offers poor but real protection; being outside offers almost none.

After a fire, do not return until authorities say it is safe. Fallen power lines, unstable trees, hot ash pits and damaged structures cause a significant share of post-fire injuries.