On February 7, 2009, Victoria experienced its worst ever natural disaster when more than 600 bushfires blazed across the state.

The Black Saturday and Gippsland fires claimed 173 lives and destroyed more than 2000 homes when high temperatures, strong winds and more than a decade of drought combined to create what was an unprecedented level of bushfire danger.

The 2009/10 bushfire season is now only weeks away and Victoria is once again facing another summer where extreme bushfire conditions are expected.

All of Victoria is at risk of bushfire. Whether you live in the bush, on a farm, near the coast or in a suburban area surrounded by grassland, or if you plan to travel in these areas, you could be affected by a bush, grass or scrub fire this summer.

Fire Action Week (October 11 – 18) is the time to focus on preparing.

Every Victorian needs to look at their home and surroundings, assess if you could be at risk of a bushfire and develop a written Bushfire Survival Plan. This details how you will prepare yourself and your home, and helps you decide what to do if threatened by a bushfire.

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.

There are a number of changes to the way we prepare for and respond to bushfires this summer.

New fire danger ratings have been introduced that will detail when fire conditions are severe, extreme or code red (catastrophic). All Victorians need to know what these ratings mean for them and how days of higher risk will affect their Bushfire Survival Plan.

Township Protection Plans are being prepared for 52 communities that have been identified as being most at risk this summer. These include large and small communities surrounded by bush, outer suburbs of Melbourne and regional cities as well as some holiday locations.

CFA has also developed a new 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.

Even if you don’t plan to stay to defend, there are steps you can take now to prepare your home for the summer fire season and give it the best chance of surviving a bushfire. Cleaning out gutters, mowing the lawn, managing vegetation and removing or reducing the number of items that can catch fire within 30m of your house will all help.

It’s important to remember that fire doesn’t only threaten people who live in dense bush. Suburban homes were destroyed by bushfire last summer. Embers can travel kilometres ahead of a bush, grass or scrub fire, igniting leaves in gutters, vegetation, fences and other items around the home.

This supplement includes preliminary information on how you can take action now to start preparing for the coming fire season.

You will find more detailed information at www.cfa.vic.gov.au or by calling the Victorian Bushfire Information Line on 1800 240 667.