If caught in fire, on foot
If on foot, riding a bike, horse riding or on a horse-drawn vehicle, employ one of the safety measures listed. If harnessed animals are involved, remove the harness and let the animal run free.
| + | Stay with companions. Don't worry others by disappearing. Don't wander off alone. | |
| + | Never try to escape from an approaching fire by running uphill. Fire travels faster uphill. It is always better to move across the face of a hill out of the way of the fire. | |
| + | Don't panic as this drains your energy and affects your thinking. | |
| + | Run only when absolutely necessary and only if your changes of escape are clear. | |
| + | Seek shelter in a creek, waterhole, dam, in-ground earth tank, muddy area or swamp at the side away from the fire. Wet or plaster the exposed parts of the body with mud and keep it moist. | |
| + | Do not climb into elevated tanks as this water heats rapidly and collapse can occur within a few minutes. (A person almost totally immersed in warm water 44c degrees reaches a stage of collapse in approximately 3 minutes). | |
| + | If no water is available, take refuge behind a raised object (a rock, log or tree stump) in a cleared area. A slight hollow in the ground is also sufficient in a bare area (eg. wheel ruts). | |
| + | If there is no suitably safe location available, seek shelter in the barest area away from any heavy quantity of fuel; cover exposed skin with dirt or dust or clothing or any available protection; lie face downwards with boots towards the fire. |