High fire risk..... Stay or go?

[Mace]

You have a good basic plan in that you will leave, but can you take the safe with you?
They won't survive in an inferno if left in the house.

You don't have large animals, so you should have basic plans to confine and or cage them early in the day concerned. You don't want to spend 15 minutes trying to find the cat for example.


Yes, it's a hard call. I had 20 years experience as a professional firefighter with Forestry Vic, but only ever had one experience in being at a fire front on my own property. If I were 30 and fit I would do it again. At nearly 60 I will never do it again becoz the emotional drain is excessive.

The emphasis now is getting warnings out beforehand. Government is playing safe. You may live in a semi built up area of cockatoo not dissimilar to urban  melbourne, but the risk is higher than normal.

On the flip side, you arnt  in a summer period at the end of a long drought, so fire behaviour will be reduced.

[D4D]

On the flip side, you arnt  in a summer period at the end of a long drought, so fire behaviour will be reduced.

Actually we had below average spring and summer rainfall. My garden is as dry now as it was early Feb last year. The place is ready to go up.

[Mace]

Actually we had below average spring and summer rainfall. My garden is as dry now as it was early Feb last year. The place is ready to go up.

See, living down here is an advantage! And I loose track of Vic weather! 

[Black Diamond]

Safe Refuge is Open to any Swaggers affected by fire in Nagambie , cats c, dogs even kids .
                           0412158001    The Door is always unlocked                           

There is only one small clause, bring beer and make sure it's green

[vicandug]

Safe Refuge is Open to any Swaggers affected by fire in Nagambie , cats c, dogs even kids .
                           0412158001    The Door is always unlocked                           

Thanks speewa.   Gotta love my swag peoples xxx

[Mace]

See, living down here is an advantage! And I loose track of Vic weather! 

But bear in mind the FDI in black Saturday in 2009 was in excess of 200, whilst the current FDI for the Central  highlands is around 100.

http://www.bom.gov.au/vic/forecasts/fire-map.shtml

So, conditions 2 moz are far reduced from then.

Since 2009 the emergency scales have been varied so they portray different values of risk. So, not underestimating tomorrow's forecast, but since then emergency services have attempted to provide more valid information to the public.

Frankly, on any given day, to the general punter, it makes no difference if the FDI is 100 or 200. It's still a fire I wouldn't like to be in front of.

[Mace]

There is only one small clause, bring beer and make sure it's green

That would be Boags?

[xcvator]

If in any doubt, how much is a caravan park per night. Go and read the stats about fire travel speed in 1999, you would NEVER out run it, if I recall it was something like 35 minutes from Gembrook to Officer 

[Bird]

That would be Boags?

Coopers Green.....

[Nay-DMAX]

Hoping all swaggers are staying safe.  Can the boxes you have packed with clothes food etc go in the car tonight I know it is late but loading a car up if a fire front is moving in is wasting your time to get away.  I agree with Mace if you are able to take your important info with you that is better with you than in the safe. Scarps shared a good video on facebook today showing things to have ready more about if you have pets I could share it to the myswag facebook page if you are on there might share it anyway.  It is very dry around our place with a lot of long grass having been left on drainage channel banks.  Having said that the same as Speewa has mentioned we have room here for a camper and pets if it was needed PM lino6 or myself if anything we can do to help out.

[Bird]

http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/

http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/fireready-quiz/

http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/your-local-area/

http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/before-and-during-a-fire/

[xcvator]

OK, for swaggers in trouble in fire areas only (BHG don't even think about it)
Mornington Peninsula
I have a semi secure back yard, large enough to erect most campers, 15 amp exterior 240 v power, dogs ok, but may have to be on leads.

If you're in a fire danger area and need accomodation call me 0419 357762
cheers Keith 

any prank callers, I will find you and keeeeell you veeeery slowly, I haff my waze 

[dales133]

Can't leave pets behind with a good conscience. That's a major issue for most people.my domesticated cats would be fornicated and as thier part of the family  I couldn't abandon them to a death like that with a good conscience.
Having said that they are extremely sharp little bastards to transport.
Hope I haven't offended anyone! Dosn't seem hard

[xcvator]

Can't leave pets behind with a good conscience. That's a major issue for most people.my domesticated cats would be fornicated and as thier part of the family  I couldn't abandon them to a death like that with a good conscience.
Having said that they are extremely sharp little bastards to transport.
Hope I haven't offended anyone! Dosn't seem hard

get some tranquilizers from your vet

[dales133]

get some tranquilizers from your vet

I agree it's doable but people with cars full of pets and tired kids adds a whole new dimension to the avoidance of risk

[Nay-DMAX]

I agree it's doable but people with cars full of pets and tired kids adds a whole new dimension to the avoidance of risk

If you have a secure cat cage shouldnt be so bad put them in the back our cat prefers a towel or something over the cage keeps her calm. When we had to leave the cat was in the cage for about 3 hours before we could get her out at friends and she was ok a long part of that time her and the dog were just sitting in the car with aircon on whilst we moved horses and helped others. I get what you are saying about distractions but people drive with tired kids in the car all the time perhaps have some special things in the fire pack that they dont normally have.

[Garfish]

We have tonight loaded up the safe with passports, birth certificates, insurance docs, tax stuff, animal records etc,

If you have smart phone take photo of all numbers on these docs, ie, passport # , birth certificate # insurance policy #, etc.  is also good practice when travelling, if anything got lost
Obviously not now but part of future planning.

[vicandug]

Thanks for all of the offers.  I know that there are a few my swaggers up this way and hopefully we will never be in a situation where we need to accept this offers....

Even in the outer suburbs there is a fire threat as so many of them are new And in areas surrounded by paddocks.  Everyone needs to be careful....   Not just up here on the mountain.

[Bird]

No doubt you will have left by now, but if you haven't - this wind should tell you to have been long gone.

[Mik01]

A bit OT, but on Xmas eve my neighbours house burnt to the ground. Woke at 10 past midnight to flames shooting out the windows about 6 foot higher than the gutters.
About 6 or 8 fire units turned up (we only have tank water so they needed all the water they could bring), but it was gone. Took less than 10mins from the other neighbour noticing a glow and smoke to full inferno.
Lucky the owner is single and was at work on shift.

It was horrifying to see how quickly that fire destroyed that house - it was a stucco style on slab, half timber frame half steel. My house is an old qlder, all timber. If it wasn't so wet here lately we would have had a real bushfire situation in the middle of the night Xmas eve.

Made me realise we hadn't planned anything in the event of bushfire, and also made me realise how quickly a fire takes hold. If you were in that house, you had maybe 3-5mins to get out before you died from smoke inhalation. In a bushfire event, this would be magnified ten fold I would imagine.

Stay safe, and if I was in your situation I would be gone with the family to a safe place.

[Nay-DMAX]

If you have smart phone take photo of all numbers on these docs, ie, passport # , birth certificate # insurance policy #, etc.  is also good practice when travelling, if anything got lost
Obviously not now but part of future planning.

This is a very good idea then email the photos to yourself because you can access emails from anywhere but say your phone got lost dropped in a rush to get out broken etc then no other copy.

[vicandug]

No doubt you will have left by now, but if you haven't - this wind should tell you to have been long gone.

Hey bird.  We stayed home with a constant eye on the apps.  We have to go to an engagement party down your way tonight so Ug is unhitching the camper and putting it back in the shed.

[Bookleaf]

We all talk about making plans etc, but maybe that 'plan A' is not enough.
Talking to someone involved near the fires here in Adelaide today.  They have a plan and were on official alert to activate it.
Part of that plan is to move pets etc to a certain friends place some considerable distance away.
That plan went out the window when his friend was ordered to evacuate because the fire is so widely spread!.
He was madly trying to organise a 'plan B'

[robbo1172]

Stay safe swaggers...

[speewa158]

Plan A , B , C ,D  & Then Some  .   Stay safe