When deciding whether you will either leave early before bushfire threatens your home or you will stay to actively defend your property, you must assess your personal capacity.

This includes your physical and emotional capability. It also includes the physical and emotional capacity of all your household members.

You should not consider staying to defend your property if:

• You will be on your own during the defence of your property

• You have one or more people with physical or intellectual disabilities residing in the home

• You or any of your household members have an emotional or mental health condition

• You have one or more elderly, frail or vulnerable people residing in the home

• You have one or more children under the age of 16 residing in the home

Defending your home will require enormous reserves of physical and mental stamina. It may require many hours and sometimes days of active patrolling and defense 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.

Actively defending your home will be a frightening and stressful experience. It may be hard to breathe, difficult to see, disorientating, very noisy and very hot. Be aware that bushfire smoke can aggravate respiratory conditions such as asthma and heart conditions.

The safest option is to leave early so you are not in your area during a bushfire.

All residents in bushfire prone areas must understand that exposure to any disaster such as a bushfire will affect you psychologically whether you leave your property before there is fire in the area or you stay to defend your property.

Having a plan of what you will do will assist you to cope and help you to implement strategies and actions that may save your life.