CFA fire safety advice

Plan and prepare for the fire season

  • On hot, dry, windy days, fires can start and spread quickly. If the Fire Danger Rating is Severe, Extreme or Code Red, leaving early before a fire has started is the safest option.
  • If you wait and decide to leave after a fire has started, you risk driving your family through thick smoke, fallen trees and power lines, and face the danger of collisions, being trapped by fire, serious injury or death.
  • Understand your risk and plan ahead. Know what to do on hot, dry, windy days and plan for all situations. Talk to your family and friends about how you’ll know when to leave, where you’ll go and how you will get there.
  • Fire Danger Ratings tell you how dangerous a fire would be if one started. As the ratings increase, so does the risk of an uncontrollable and fast moving fire. A severe fire danger rating or higher should be your trigger to leave. To find out more about fire danger ratings visit cfa.vic.gov.au/firebans.
  • Never wait for an official warning before you leave, as you may not get one. Fires can start quickly and threaten homes and lives within minutes. Make sure you have a plan.
  • If you can see smoke or fire driving is extremely dangerous. Thick smoke makes it hard to see, making traffic jams and collisions more likely. Keep roads clear for emergency services.
  • People have died trying to save their animals. To keep them safe, decide now what you will do with your pets and horses on hot, dry, windy days.
  • If you're travelling through bush or grasslands this summer, check the conditions for your destination and any areas you will travel through before you go, listen to local radio for warnings and advice while you’re on the road, and check conditions regularly throughout your stay. Download the VicEmergency app, visit emergency.vic.gov.au, and save the VicEmergency Hotline (1800 226 226) into your mobile phone. Never travel into bush or grassland areas where a Code Red has been forecast
  • Preparing your property means you can minimise the chance of property damage during a fire; even if you plan to leave early. Find more information about property preparation at cfa.vic.gov.au/prepare
  • People have lost their homes due to simple things like embers landing on their doormat. Before you leave, move anything that can burn away from your house.

To find out more, visit: CFA's Plan and Prepare page.

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