PLEA Network

20 November 2019, The Conversation, It’s hard to breathe and you can’t think clearly – if you defend your home against a bushfire, be mentally prepared. If you live in a bushfire-prone area, you’ll likely have considered what you will do in the event of a bushfire. The decision, which should be made well in advance of bushfire season, is whether to stay and actively defend a well-prepared property or to leave the area while it’s safe to do so. The emphasis in bushfire safety is on leaving early. This is the safest option. In “catastrophic” fire conditions, the message from NSW Rural Fire Service is that for your survival, leaving early is the only option. In other fire conditions, staying and defending requires accurately assessing the safety of your house and the surrounding environment, preparing your property in line with current best practice and understanding fire conditions. It also requires a realistic assessment of not just your personal physical capacity to stay and defend but also your psychological capacity. Why do people stay and defend? Our survey of people who experienced the 2017 NSW bushfires asked what they would do next summer if there were catastrophic conditions. Some 27% would get ready to stay and defend, and 24% said they would wait to see if there was a fire before deciding whether to stay and defend or leave. Animal ownership, a lack of insurance, and valuable assets such as agricultural sheds and equipment, are motivators for decisions to stay and defend. Read more here