Community
When living in a high fire risk area your first priority will be the safety of your immediate family and protection of your home. Once you have this in hand you may want to develop survival strategies in conjunction with your neighbours or on behalf of a community group you belong to, such as Scouts, Girl Guides, Rotary, Friends of National Parks, Bushcare and Landcare.
By working together with your community you will be in a better position to prepare for fires and will increase your chances of survival.
Upcoming meetings and public events
Community strategies
Community strategies may include:
- making plans to care for young children, elderly and disabled people in the street in the event of a bushfire
- making plans for your pets and your neighbours' pets
- nominating a house in the street most likely to survive a bushfire for others to shelter in
- developing phone trees to improve the chance of receiving an early warning if there is a bushfire in the area
- organising working bees to reduce fuel hazards,
- improving access between properties
- becoming familiar with each others fire fighting equipment
- organising bulk buying of fire fighting equipment
- developing a neighbourhood resource list
- being aware of each others bushfire survival plans and sharing ideas and innovations
- researching the fire history in your area
- learn how fires behave and how they destroy homes
- conducting a street to walk with your local brigade to identify fire hazards
- producing a map of your area, identifying property owners, local dams and other water supplies and providing a copy to your local CFS brigade
- checking with the local school to find out what they plan to do in the event of a fire
- making your property firefighter-friendly - can fire appliances fit through gates and reach water supplies?
- establishing a creche to free up adults to patrol against spark and ember attack
- creating a library of CFS brochures, fact sheets and pamphlets for you and your neighbours (and check back on the website regularly to keep it current).
In a major bushfire, a fire appliance will not be available to protect every home. Neighbours are often the first, and sometimes only, assistance that you can count on during a bushfire. It is important you take responsibility for your own bushfire safety.
Community programs
Our Community Engagement team has developed programs for communities in high bushfire risk areas.
These programs raise awareness of:
- your bushfire risk
- bushfire behaviour
- how to protect your house and property
- your personal safety
- bushfire survival planning.
Contact CFS Community Engagement
Phone: 08 8115 3319