Community Safety and Emergency Management Co-ordinator Craig Cuthbert (Left) and Chief Bushfire Control Officer Jamie O’Neill (Right) hold this year’s Burning Information Booklet and Firebreak and Fuel Load Notice. Included in this year’s rates pack, these are useful materials for making your bushfire survival plan.
Camera IconCommunity Safety and Emergency Management Co-ordinator Craig Cuthbert (Left) and Chief Bushfire Control Officer Jamie O’Neill (Right) hold this year’s Burning Information Booklet and Firebreak and Fuel Load Notice. Included in this year’s rates pack, these are useful materials for making your bushfire survival plan. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Hills residents urged to test bushfire survival plan on November 28

Sarah BrookesHills Avon Valley Gazette

SHIRE of Mundaring is urging all residents to prepare their emergency plans and put them to the test at the end of this month.

The Shire’s annual Test Your Bush Fire Survival Plan Day event returns in 2018 on Wednesday, November 28 starting at 6.30pm.

Chief executive Jonathan Throssell said the event would be run online to help people prepare themselves for the bush fire season.

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“Test Your Bush Fire Survival Day is a 30-minute event run through Facebook,” he said.

“Every five minutes throughout the event, participants are presented with a different scenario, which is designed to get them thinking about how they would respond in a real life situation.

“This is a fantastic time to test in real life if your plan considers everything needed to keep you, your family and your pets safe.”

Mr Throssell said people were encouraged to have a draft plan prepared before the event. If you don’t have a plan, go to www.dfes.wa.gov.au/firechat.

“It’s important everyone in your household knows what to do in case of an emergency. It’s also important that your property is prepared,” he said.

The Facebook event has previously been run on a weekend when families are more likely to be at home together, however fires don’t always just occur on weekends – people need to be prepared for any situation.

People are encouraged to sign up for the event page on the Shire’s Facebook page and sit down with their families on the night to participate.

Alternatively, the questions will be available to download as a PDF after the event so you can think about the scenarios in your own time.

The initiative was crowned a finalist in the 2016 State Emergency Management’s WA Resilience Australia Awards.