The South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS) is calling on South Australians to dust off their Bushfire Survival Plans and familiarise themselves with their nearest Bushfire Safer Place.
The call follows the release of CFS statistics which found that nearly half (42 per cent) of people living in bushfire-prone areas did not know the meaning of their local Bushfire Safer Place or where to find it.
Acting Director of Preparedness Operations at CFS, Joel Taggart said the statistics came on the eve of the fire danger season, prompting authorities to encourage people to research and practice their Bushfire Survival Plan before an emergency occurred.
“A Bushfire Safer Place is an identified area that can provide relative safety and be used as a location for people who live in the area or have planned to leave early from high-risk locations on a bad fire day or during a bushfire,” Mr Taggart said.
“Despite the fact that we’ve had catastrophic bushfires in our State over recent years, it’s quite worrying to know that people don’t fully comprehend the concept of our established Bushfire Safer Places,” he said.
“More often than not, they get confused with a Bushfire Last Resort Refuge, which should not be used unless there is absolutely no other option.”
Mr Taggart said a Bushfire Last Resort Refuge was a space or building which could be used as a last resort to shelter from a bushfire, however, they only provided a minimum level of protection and did not guarantee survival.
He said a last resort refuge should only be used when a designated Bushfire Safer Place could not be reached, or if a person’s Bushfire Survival Plan had failed.
“Get online now and identify where your nearest Bushfire Safer Place is; plan how you will get there, who will be with you and what you’ll bring,” Mr Taggart said.
Further information about Bushfire Safer Places can be accessed on the CFS website at this PS News link.
