If you plan to leave early, then you must leave your home well before a bushfire threatens and travelling by road becomes hazardous.
You will need a Bushfire Evacuation Kit to ensure you and your family have important items and equipment required to relocate for the time needed.
Protective clothing for you and your family
Bottled water (enough for all)
Blankets (natural fibres)
Passports & birth certificates
Family photos, valuables & documents
Your property should be well-prepared for the fire, even if you intend to leave early.
A well-prepared property stands a greater chance of surviving.
- Move cars to a safe location
- Remove garden furniture, door mats and other items
- Close windows and doors and shut blinds
- Take down curtains and move furniture away from windows
- Seal gaps under doors and windows with wet towels
- Bring pets inside and restrain them (leash, cage or secure room) and provide water
- Block downpipes (at the top) and fill gutters with water if possible
- Wet down the sides of buildings, decks and close shrubbery in the likely path of the bushfire
- Wet down fine fuels close to buildings
- Turn on garden sprinklers for 30 minutes before the bushfire arrives
- Fill containers with water - baths, sinks, buckets, wheelie bins
- Tune in to warnings to monitor local radio, websites or social media for updates
- Put on protective clothing
- Drink lots of water.
Contingency Plan
Have a contingency plan, just in case. For example, a rapid onset fire could make travel dangerous and force you to stay, or your vehicle may be unavailable or not working.