Last week FIT was lucky to attend a fire safety awareness session, with guest speakers who have a lot of experience dealing with fires. Here are some tips and information from the session:
Deciding whether to head out for your training session in the bush:
Firstly, check the weather forecast. If it’s going to be hot, dry and windy the fire danger will increase. Some reserves and nature parks will close during high risk periods; please don’t go in them when they have been shut due to high fire risk! The Parks and Conservation website will usually have information about reserve closures.
Check for exisiting fires in your area before you head out. Two recommended apps for this are the Fires near me app, and the Emergency Oz app.
When in doubt, practise safety first: you can always run or ride around the lake on high-fire-risk days and you will be a lot safer than deep in the bush!
Things to take with you:
In addition to your normal equipment, you might want to consider taking the following:
Your phone, to call emergency services if needed. A good tip is to set your emergency contact card up – most phones have this feature and it can be helpful in an emergency.
A mirror – mirrors are helpful for attracting attention in a bushfire setting, and in some cases more helpful than a whistle eg: attracting attention from aerial emergency services from the ground.
Safety precautions during a training session or an event:
If you’re in an event and pull out due to the heat or conditions make sure you let the organisers know.
If there are sign-in registers at a National Park you are visiting then make sure you sign in at each one.
Plan your training session: Have a map of your route and know the escape routes out of the area.
Protective clothing – it’s hard to run or ride in protective clothing! However, if you have a choice about what you wear, natural fibres such as merino, bamboo and cotton are more fire resistant than synthetic clothing which melts quickly and can exacerbate burns.
Bushfire survival:
The windspeed, temperature, humidity and the gradient of the area all contribute to the fire danger index. Grass burns faster than trees, and every 10% increase in gradient doubles the speed of the fire spread. Fires spread faster uphill.
So, if you need to take shelter from a fire the top of the hill is not a good place. Look for a place that is bare of fuel and down low eg: a hiking trail or creek bed/river, and a southerly aspect is generally cooler and damper. A big log or a boulder might also give you some protection from a fire.
If you are in a safe place in a fire stay in there – do not try to run through flames. If you are taking shelter wait for the flame front to pass, wait for it to cool and walk back over the black, avoiding trees and roots which can explode or collapse.
If you’re trying to escape a fire make the decision to leave early – don’t leave it too late.
After experiencing a fire your mental health is also very important – seek help and treatment if you’re feeling the effects of trauma.
Many thanks to Dianah Brown for organising a very informative session for us!