Every Victorian, no matter where they live, needs to be fire ready. Its vital residents start planning and preparing now.

CFA has a household self-assessment tool that will help you determine if your house has enough defendable space around it. This should be the first step in preparing your Bushfire Survival Plan as it will help you decide if staying to defend during a bushfire is a viable and safe option for you.

Survival must be your main priority. The only sure way to survive a bushfire is to be well away from the threat. All bush and grass fires have the potential to claim lives and destroy property.

Defending your home will require enormous reserves of physical and mental stamina. It may require many hours and sometimes days of active patrolling and defence of your property. This will be exhausting. It can only be done with two or more fit adults in residence and must not be attempted if there are children or elderly present.

 Tips for getting fire ready:

• Cutting the grass and reducing ‘fine fuels’ – such as long, dry grass, fallen leaves and twigs
• Clearing leaves out of gutters, dead undergrowth and fallen branches, and wood piles away from home
• Use the Council's free green waste drop-offs
• Carefully burn off your own garden waste with permits from the Council
• Removing firewood, newspapers and other flammable material from immediately around the house
• Placing weather stripping around the inside of doors and windows
• Closing underfloor spaces and sealing all gaps where embers could enter
• Actively seeking advice about other actions recommended by the CFA or the MFB.

If you want to remove trees and vegetation around your home the 10/30 rule may be of help. Before cutting down anything please look at the 10/30 legislation There may also be other important information consider before removing trees and vegetation from around your home.

Permits

You may want to undertake maintenance of the road reserve/nature strip around your home. Some roads are managed by Council and others by VicRoads. This map should help you find out which type of road you live on.

You can apply to burn off during the Fire Danger Period by completing the online form.

Leave early

If you live in a bushfire prone area you need to ensure you are prepared should you find yourself in a fire event by:

• Ensuring access to adequate water supplies, such as tanks, dams, swimming pools or water reserves
• Making fire retardant screens to go over windows to prevent the glass from cracking in radiant heat, and
• Installing a sprinkler system around the home and gathering appropriate fire fighting equipment.
• Know where your Neighbourhood Safer Places - Places of Last Resort are
• Being physically and mentally fit to deal with the effects of fighting bushfires.