Prepare, Stay and Defend or Go Early

Residents in bushfire prone areas of Queensland will be given the option to Prepare, Stay and Defend or Go Early, under a new Queensland Fire and Rescue Service (QFRS) initiative.

Emergency Services Minister Pat Purcell today launched the Central Region campaign in Rockhampton, which hopes to educate those living in or near bushland of their options when facing a bushfire threat.

“These situations can often generate indecision and panic among homeowners who want to do everything possible to save their valuable possessions but are aware they may be risking the lives of themselves or their families,” Mr Purcell said.

“Appropriately prepared and constructed buildings offer protection to people during bushfires, reducing the likelihood of bushfire-related injury and fatality.

“By remaining with their property to extinguish small initial ignitions, people who are prepared, and who are equipped with appropriate skills and basic resources, can save a building that could otherwise be lost in a fire.“

Key factors that need to be taken into account when making the decision to stay include:

• whether the home is adequately constructed, maintained and prepared to withstand the intensity of an expected fire;
• preparation of contingency plans if a fire is found to be more intense than expected or if the building catches fire and cannot be extinguished;
• and the physical, mental and emotional fitness of those planning to defend the home, to cope with the situation.

“If residents are planning to go, they should be prepared to go early. They should decide where they will go, how they will get there, and what trigger they will use to initiate their plan,” Mr Purcell said.

“Evacuation at the last minute ahead of a bushfire is dangerous. Smoke, noise, heat, flames, firefighting vehicles and panic all make fleeing in a vehicle or on foot dangerous. The risk of being overrun by fire is very real and has resulted in numerous fatalities.”

Mr Purcell said that according to research done by the QFRS, and experience in other states, well-prepared properties are also more likely to survive in the event that firefighters are unavailable to protect them. This Prepare, Stay and Defend or Go Early program is similar to that adopted successfully in other states around Australia.

Origin Energy is supporting the program as part of their commitment to helping communities to stay safe. Together, Origin Energy and the fire service hope to make a difference this bushfire season.

Information is available to householders through the QFRS Bushfire Prepared Communities program, by contacting local fire stations, and accessing the QFRS website at www.fire.qld.gov.au or the QFRS Rural Fire Service website at www.ruralfire.qld.gov.au.

Media contact: Brendan Connell 07 3247 8992, 0437 837 976
Tim Shipstone 07 3247 8194, 0409 620 571.