Higher Fire Risk Conditions Ahead – Are You Prepared?
Shire of Capel 7 Feb 2019

The South West of the State is likely to encounter low intensity heatwave conditions over the next three days which may put a considerable strain on available bushfire fighting resources.

Although it occurred in more moderate conditions, the recent fire in Marchetti Road Gelorup should serve as a very timely reminder of how quickly a fire can develop and place members of our community at risk.

The decision on whether to leave or stay and defend your property is an individual one – are you prepared? This includes physically and emotionally and also the right equipment.  Is your property prepared? These are questions that only you can answer and you cannot expect or rely on someone else to make that decision for you.

If you intend to leave, you should also decide where you are going to go – in what direction and to what destination?

The Incident Controller does not always establish evacuation centres – especially when there are only small numbers of properties involved. Evacuation centres also need to be away from the potential impact area of a fire and take time to establish, so you need to consider where else you could go – at least in the short term.

For more information on how to prepare for a bushfire head to the DFES website.