Fire Safety
With hot and dry conditions comes the increased risk of fires.
Fire Danger Ratings
Fire Danger Ratings tell you how dangerous a fire could be if one started in the current conditions. The higher the rating, the more dangerous a fire could be on that day. It is important to stay informed and up-to-date with the fire risks. Because conditions can change quickly, there may not always be lots of notice, and you should not rely on emergency services being able to reach you.
Based on the risk rating, there are different actions you should take:
| Category | What to do |
| Catastrophic |
Leave bushfire risk areas. Homes cannot withstand fires in these conditions. You may not be able to leave and help may not be available. |
| Extreme |
Leave bushfire risk areas early in the day. Check your bushfire plan. If a fire starts, take immediate action. If you are not completely prepared, go to a safer location. Reconsider travel through bushfire risk areas. |
| High |
Be alert for fires and decide what you will do if a fire starts. Safest option is to avoid bushfire risk areas. |
| Moderate |
Stay up to date and be ready to act if there’s a fire. |
Warnings
Warnings are information about fires that have already started.
There are three levels of warnings and it is important to know they are not issued in any particular order. The first warning issued could be an Emergency Warning.
If you live close to or among grass or paddocks, dense or open bush, or where suburbs meet the bush or grasslands, you need to plan and prepare before the fire season.
Use this document to help you prepare: CFA Fire Ready Kit
If you know anyone who does not speak English, ask them to call 131 450 for translated information.
Resources
Public Information: Heatwave Help Downloads - Heatwave Help (cvga.org.au)
Heat health - Effects of extreme heat (video) (healthtranslations.vic.gov.au)
Beat the heat, health tips for a safe season (healthtranslations.vic.gov.au)
How to cope and stay safe in extreme heat - Better Health Channel
Heat-related health problems - Better Health Channel
Risk forecasts and warnings: Heat health warning | health.vic.gov.au
Heatwave Service for Australia (bom.gov.au)
Incidents and Warnings - VicEmergency
Welcome to CFA | CFA (Country Fire Authority)
For health services, Murray PHN has put together a bushfire preparedness document: BUSHFIRE PREPAREDNESS (murrayphn.org.au)
For farmers, Agriculture Victoria have put together a Fire Preparedness Toolkit to help you develop a fire plan for your home, livestock, and farm infrastructure: Fire toolkit | Bushfires | Emergency management | Farm management | Agriculture Victoria