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BUSHFIRE SURVIVAL

Recommended Gear for Bushfire Season

“Tis the season for fire and flame, fa la la la la, la la laa laa.”

FFS.  Once more into the breach of an Australian Summer my friends.  A classic Australian Summer, generally includes its fair share of fire (or alternatively epic flooding).  We are addressing fire, flame and inferno in this list for the most part though.  Some items will obviously be useful for either circumstances though.

Dont get caught out if it happens near you.  Get your life sorted and maybe save your life by having these things close by and ready.   

This list of recommended items is mostly stuff suggested by RFS & CFS, so if you collect it and die during a bushfire sue the government and not us.  We are going to add some bits to it though, that might prove more useful than the recommended stuff. 

General Items C/RFS Recommends:

  • Battery Powered AM/FM Radio Plus Spare Batteries
  • Waterproof Torch
  • Woolen Blankets
  • Clothing to Protect You During a Bushfire* See Below
  • First Aid Kit with Manual
  • Can Opener
  • Emergency Contact Numbers

Possible Changes or Additions: 

Solar Crank Radio – gives you the ability to manually power the radio if batteries die and most are able to charge a cell phone. 

Mask – if you have poor air quality and/or a lot of smoke a mask is going to be needed. Get something like an RZ Mask or a Cambridge Mask with P2 level filters as a minimum for general light smoke and poor air quality.  For when conditions are worse a more serious mask with a respirator that is at least P3 should be the go.

Goggles – depending on how into the smoke and flames you are a decent pair of goggles will help protect against particles and heat. 

Fixed Blade Knife & Multi Tool – both of these would be a good idea to have in a pack but make sure you know your local laws regarding knives. 

Slilcock Key – these are fairly light and may be useful in the event you get to an urban location and can’t get water anywhere else. 

Before leaving the house they are recommending the following be done.  Whilst some things would have to be last minute grabs most of this could actually be prepared in advance or stored with the already packed stuff. 

C/RFS Recommends Before You Leave:

  • Money, Key Cards and Credit Cards
  • Medications, Toiletries and Sanitary Supplies
  • Special Requirements for Infants, Elderly, Injured, or those with Disabilities
  • Important Documents (e.g. Insurance papers, wills, passports, IDs), valuables and photos
  • Drinking Water (three litres per person per day) & Food for at least 72 hours
  • A Change of Clothes for Everyone
  • Mobile Phone & Charger
  • Blankets
  • Children’s Toys (a favourite item for each child)

C/RFS Recommends For Your Pets:

  • Basket/cage/leash
  • Medications, food, drinking water and bowls
  • Familiar item (toy, bed, treats) to help reduce stress

Possible Changes or Additions: 

Some of these things we think ought to be in the already packed ready to go items above.  Such as: 

Money – have some additional money in the go packs. You should have your wallet on you anyway so you will most likely have your main money, credit cards and debit cards but an extra stash of cash never hurt anyone. 

Medications, Toiletries & Sanitary Supplies – have these already packed and ready to go. These are things that can be stored for a while and as long as you check them once a year or so you shouldnt have any expired product issues

Important Documents – copies of these should be stored with the contact numbers as well as the USB key with important information on it. 

Change of Clothes for Everyone – again, spare clothes can be stored well before you need to grab and go. Everyone has clothes that they can chuck in a pack and store.

Blankets – keep something easy to store and light like a bivvy or camping blanket in your packs in case you cant grab anything heavier before you leave. 

Portable Battery Bank – as well as a charger for the phone a battery pack would be a good idea too as it allows you to charge the phone without needing a grid hook up. Such as something by Belkin, Anker or Cygnett. 

Water & Food – 72 hours of water and food per person is a lot. Water is very heavy.  Food is easy as energy rich bars and camping food is light. The water though would be an issue.  The main time period would be clearing the fire area and then you will be back in an area where water will be available to buy or provided by emergency services.

Sometimes it would be possible to stay and defend your property from oncoming fires or the fires may come close but go past in which case the C/RFS suggests the following.

C/RFS Recommends You Have:

  • Buckets & Mops
  • Drinking Water
  • Mobile Phone Chargers
  • Fire Extinguishers
  • Hoses & Spare Hose Fittings
  • Knapsack Sprayer / Weed Sprayer / Large Water Gun
  • Shovel
  • Ladder
  • Towels
  • Medications
  • Gutter Bungs or Other Equipment for Blocking Downpipes.

Possible Changes or Additions: 

Most of these things ought to be already in your home and so this is more of a quick list to confirm you have everything. 

Water – have some stored up bottles or 10L boxes of water in a pantry or laundry in case your water supply can’t be trusted or goes out.

 

* Clothing

Natural fabrics such as cotton, denim or wool (avoid synthetics as they can melt or burn); Long sleeved shirt; Long pants or overalls. 
Sturdy leather work boots and a pair of wool socks. 
A wide brimmed hat to stop embers from dropping on your head or down your back. Or a hood and baseball cap.
Thick work gloves, a pair of goggles & a smoke mask or moist cloth to cover your nose and mouth, all protect you from smoke and embers.