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UPDATE ON STAY OR GO MESSAGES
There has been a lot of public and political focus on the “stay or go” messages during the recent events. After every significant event we review the way we do things and CFA will be learning from these experiences in order to ensure that we provide the best advice to the community. Many communities are under immediate threat or will be threatened this season and the advice that CFA provides is based on the best available evidence. Victoria is in the midst of an extreme fire situation. Fires are widespread and resources are stretched. Unprecedented fire conditions have been experienced. Fire danger is still severe.
CFA strongly emphasises the following messages:
Road travel Radiant heat is the biggest killer in a bushfire. Being in a car during a fire is highly dangerous. Many recent fatalities have occurred on roads. Cars do not provide adequate protection from radiant heat. Roads are unsafe to travel on because of poor visibility due to smoke, falling trees and a large number of emergency services vehicles. Leaving early People who intend to leave must leave before there is a fire in the area. Leaving early means going to safe places on all days when there is a severe fire risk. In extreme fire conditions fire travels very fast. It is too late to leave when there is already a fire in the area. Staying to defend People who stay and defend must be prepared to face a terrifying experience and be ready to protect themselves from a severe assault by the fire. People who stay must be mentally and emotionally able to sustain a long and dangerous battle to defend their home.
People who commit to staying MUST: Have a comprehensive plan, reliable water supply and fire fighting equipment Have an adequate cleared space around their house
If residents do not have these things in place they should leave well before there is a fire.
Being caught by fire If you are unable to leave before the fire is in your area, stay inside a building. Buildings whether they are weatherboard or brick protect people against radiant heat while the fire passes. Being outside is deadly. Seek shelter in buildings during the passage of the fire front. Information Agencies will be working hard to provide up-to-date information and communities in fire prone areas should listen for information and warnings on ABC radio. However, it is not always possible to provide timely information for each locality and all people must remain alert and monitor their surroundings for signs of fires.
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