As a qualified CFA Volunteer
Firefighter, a business owner and resident of a fire effected town of Black Saturday, I feel it is my duty to make sure that
everyone is aware of the real dangers of fire and what is important to remember
in protecting your home and business in Australia.
Remember we live in a dry
climate, fire prone, and every year with the effects of Global Warming the
weather is getting hotter (meaning more opportunities for fire) and our land is
getting dryer (meaning more readily available fuel for the fire). No matter where you live you should already
have a fire plan. I would like to see
the government make basic minimum skills taught in high schools. It would only take one week out of a school
curriculum. And it is life skills that
are detrimental to living in this country. But another beef I have with the government for
another day.
Remember, embers can travel
up to 50km in the air before landing and starting another fire. Resources are scarce, so how do you prepare
you business for a bushfire / wildfire. The Victorian Government is really working
hard to provide people with as much information as possible following the
devastation of Black Saturday this year. During the week I was sent the following short
piece of information that I think is a great start to making your business,
your livelihood, fire protected, without compromising yours or someone else’s safety.
Preparing
a Bushfire Response Plan
As a business owner it is
your responsibility to make sure you, your staff and clients are safe in the
event of a fire. A clear and concise Bushfire
Response Plan that your staff know how to use will go a long way to making
sure they are safe.
Things to do
- Have an emergency kit which includes first-aid
and supplies for up to three days; make sure employees know where it is.
- Identify staff who have first-aid qualifications
and train further staff if needed.
- Have a list of contact details for staff
members, including their emergency contact person.
- Identify which staff has the skills to help in
an emergency, e.g. able to keep calm in a crisis.
- Talk to emergency service providers such as
police, fire and ambulance services along with other agencies such as
VICSES and VicRoads to find out what they will want you to do during a
fire.
You can download more
details about preparing a Bushfire
Response Plan here.
Take care over the summer
season. Be pro-active about fire, because there is just NO time to be re-active.
The Serious No Joking Today
Louise Schultze
(This is an actual picture of a 150 year old business that was burnt to the ground only a month ago. I attended to this call out and the current person with the lease to the business had no fire plan and no internal protection installed and readily available, i.e fire blanket and fire extinguisher. This was a sad day for the town of Woodside VIC. Their only General Store that has lost it's 150 years of heritage)
