Time to 'Get Ready' for bush fire season

Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke is reminding people to prepare their homes and ensure their bush fire survival plan is up to date.

“Wet weather may have reduced the immediate risk of fires but it only takes a few days of hot, dry and windy conditions for vegetation to dry out and the fire danger to return, which is why it’s so important to get ready now,” Ms Cooke said.

“Grass fires move three times faster than bush fires and are our greatest threat across the State this summer.

“Get Ready Weekend is an ideal opportunity to find out more about making a plan for your family, and preparing for bush and grass fires. It’s also a chance to learn about the new Fire Danger Rating System which has now been rolled out across NSW.”

Rural Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Rob Rogers said Brigades will be holding events at their local stations, shopping centres and other public spaces like parks to share information about how to stay safe.

“Four out of five households in bush fire-prone areas have some form of plan for what to do during a fire, and it’s important that people review their plan now so they know what to do if threatened by a fire,” Commissioner Rogers said.

“This year’s Get Ready Weekend allows residents and landowners to meet their local volunteer firefighters, learn more about what they do and get tips on how to stay safe.”

The RFS’s top four tips to get ready for the bush fire season are:

• Discuss what to do if a bush fire threatens your home;
• Prepare your home by cleaning leaves and twigs from gutters, keeping lawns and gardens well maintained, cutting back trees and shrubs overhanging buildings, cleaning up fallen vegetation, and having hoses long enough to reach around your house;
• Know the bush fire alert levels; and
• Keep all the bush fire information numbers, websites and the Fires Near Me app handy.