Minister urges NSW residents to plan for bush fires
1st November 2009Ministerial media release
NSW Emergency Services Minister Steve Whan has urged all residents living in bush fire prone areas to download and complete a Bush Fire Survival Plan.
Mr Whan said thousands of people already had downloaded a Bush Fire Survival Plan from the NSW Rural Fire Service website and it was critical that anyone living near the bush had a completed plan.
"Many people think a bush fire will never happen to them but in recent years, we've seen that fires can strike with little or no warning," he said.
"Preparation means doing the necessary work around your home, such as removing fuel from around the property and clearing gutters, to give your home the best chance of surviving a fire.
"However, people also need to prepare themselves. The Bush Fire Survival Plan walks them through this process and the important decision of whether they will leave early or stay and defend their property," he said.
Mr Whan said the decision of whether to leave early or stay and defend was one that every property owner needed to make well before any fire.
"The Survival Plan also sets out when it isn't safe to stay with your property, such as on days of Catastrophic fire conditions," he said.
"There are a number of important considerations that all homeowners and residents need to make, such as who will leave, when they'll leave, what they'll take and where they'll go.
"If residents are going to stay and defend their property, they need to be both mentally and physically prepared.
"The Bush Fire Survival Plan helps residents in making these decisions, so they can Prepare. Act. Survive this bush fire season."
Mr Whan said the Bush Fire Survival Plan should be used in conjunction with the new Bush Fire Household Assessment Tool, which helped property owners assess the bush fire risk to their property.
The Bush Fire Survival Plan and Bush Fire Household Assessment Tool can be found at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au
Minister urges NSW residents to plan for bush fires (PDF 32KB)