Bushfires start small. The spread and heat of bushfires is determined by wind, slope and available fuel such as leaves, twigs and vegetation.
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Fire will generally travel faster up a slope than it will down a slope. Fire will travel with the wind, rather than against it. Fire will travel faster in fine fuels and where vegetation is thicker and drier, than it will in vegetation that is damp, sparse or composed of larger material. |
Check the weather forecast. If hot, dry and windy conditions are forecast, plan your trip carefully. You may need to change or adapt your itinerary. If hiking, review your walk, taking into consideration any shelters such as huts or creek beds, where refuge can be taken should you get into difficulty.
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Heat generated from a fire is called radiant heat. If you put your hand near an open flame you can feel the radiant heat. In very hot bushfires this heat affects people well before the actual flames reach them. Death is often caused by heat stroke, when the body's cooling system fails, leading to heat exhaustion and heart failure.
Appropriate clothing can shield the radiant heat away from your skin. Wear clothes that cover and protect all exposed skin. Natural fibre long pants, a light long-sleeved wool jumper or close weave cotton shirt should be included in your back-pack.
| If walking and caught in a bushfire
Do not run unless to a clearly indicated way of escape. Do not try to out run the fire uphill as fires travel faster uphill. Look for areas that are flat and contain very little vegetation. |
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- a running steam or wet gully
- eroded gullies free of vegetation
- a hut or building structure
- road side culvert (drainage lines) or concrete bridge
- deep wheel ruts or cuttings on the road
- rocky outcrops or open areas with little or no vegetation, including gravel pits
- an area that has been recently burnt
2. Stay in your chosen shelter until the fire has passed.
3. Cover any exposed skin with clothing, soft earth, anything to shield you from the heat.
4. Keep low and breathe air close to the ground where it is cooler and contains less smoke.
5. If there is no immediate shelter around and the fire is advancing, you have very little chance of survival in the open. Try to move away from the hottest part of the fire.
Only as a last resort, run through the flames onto burnt ground.
- Chose a place where the flames and heat are lower and where there is, or will be, little burning material on the ground behind the fire front.
- Wait for a lull and when you can see over and through the flames take a deep breath and briskly walk through covering your face as much as possible. Stay in the burnt area.
Flames greater than your height are too hazardous to run through.
Avoid bushfire danger when travelling on the roads
If you are driving through the forest and come across a fire with smoke across the road slow down at once. Don't drive through smoke when visibility is severely impaired. Consider whether your journey is really necessary. Drive slowly and switch on your headlights. Watchout for firefighting vehicles or personnel, and trees which may have fallen across the road.
If caught in a vehicle during a bushfire
Don't leave your car. Park your vehicle in an area that is bare and away from dense vegetation. For example,
- against an embankment in a cutting
- in an old gravel pit or roadside clearing
- on the section of the road which has the least amount of scrub alongside.
Close all windows, vents and turn your headlights on
- Lie down on the floor and cover yourself with anything that will shield you from radiant heat (eg coat or blanket)
- Stay in your car till the fire front has passed.
While this information provides some safety points, it is better to avoid bushfire situations where possible.
Safety points to remember:
- Check on the weather before going bush.
- Plan your trip to include shelter.
- Protect yourself from radiant heat.
- If caught on foot, seek shelter.
- Do not try to out run the fire.
- Keep as low as possible to avoid breathing heated air and smoke.
- Drink water regularly to avoid dehydration.
- Stay in your car if caught in a fire.