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Home > Bushfire Safety > Safety in Rural Areas > If caught in fire, on foot

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.