Fire and Other Emergencies

In the event of a fire

Activate your bushfire plan Remember, late evacuation is a deadly option – your home offers better protection from the dangers of radiant heat than the car. Ensure your equipment is at hand, including a battery powered radio to monitor the news for updates Protect yourself and your family from radiant heat by covering up Patrol your home and property for embers both before and after the fire front has passed – ember attack is the most likely cause for house loss in a bushfire. Drink plenty of water to protect from heat exhaustion		Bushfire Safety
		Are you at risk? Leave or stay? Protect your property Protect yourself Make a bushfire plan In the event of a fire Essential equipment Workbook (PDF - 2.1 Mb) Campfires & barbeques Don't get caught in a bushfire

Getting up-to-date information during fires
If a bushfire threatens your community, there are many ways you can find out information about the fire situation.

CFA and DSE have Information Units to provide up-to-date information to the community during major fires.

Information Units work closely with the incident’s fire management team to provide as much information about the fire as possible.

They make this information available to the community through a number of channels including:

Victorian Bushfire Information Line 1800 240 667
Trained call centre staff can provide residents with incident updates as well as advice on appropriate actions to take during a bushfire

Websites
Information is available on the DSE Fires Update and CFA Fires Update pages.
Information about prescribed (planned) burns on public land is available on the DSE website at www.dse.vic.gov.au.

Radio
ABC Radio, as an emergency services broadcaster, has made a commitment, irrespective of other programming priorities, to inform at risk communities of impending bushfire emergencies.

In regional areas, community radio stations may also broadcast information about fires in the local area.

It is important for residents to have battery-operated radios available over summer so they can listen out for these messages should the mains power fail during a fire.

Find your local ABC radio station at: http://www.abc.net.au/victoria/