Bushfire-Ready Carers
Children and those individuals who are frail, injured, and elderly, socially isolated or have some level of cognitive and/or physical impairment living in a high bushfire risk area have increased risk to the threat of bushfire. Either because they do not understand their level of risk, or because they are less able to physically or mentally prepare and withstand a bushfire and its associated hazards.
These people are unlikely to have the skills or capacity to prepare and defend their home. They may also lack an understanding of the need for a leave early plan and an emergency backup plan.
Their survival may depend on emergency services, family, friends, neighbours/volunteer or a care worker.
Volunteers, Carers and community services providers play an important role within a strengths-based approach to emergency planning and preparedness of people of increased risk. By understanding the bushfire hazards in an area, knowing where to find information and preparing a bushfire survival plan people are empowered to respond safely in a bushfire emergency.
This Bushfire-Ready Carers kit has been developed in collaboration with Carers, neighbours/volunteers, and home and community care workers. It utilises existing resources that are presented here as a ‘tool box’ to support Carers, volunteers and workers to confidently assist a residents living in a high bushfire risk area with completing a bushfire survival plan.
Volunteers, Carers and home and community care workers can use these resources to:
- Identify if a resident’s property has a bushfire risk
- Assist a resident to undertake a self-assessment with critical questions that need to be covered for preparing an emergency plan
- Become familiar with key bushfire concepts, terminology and TFS bushfire emergency advice and
- Enable them to assist a resident to complete a leave early plan.
Step 1- Identify bushfire risk:
TasALERT RiskReady tool can identify natural hazards and provide information about a properties bushfire risk.
This tool will improve your understanding of natural hazard risks to a property and help to mitigate the risk of damage.
A property report can be printed to help start a conversation about local hazards and help with the planning process. Access the report at - alert.tas.gov.au/RiskReady
Step 2- Understand an individual’s risk factors:
The People at Increased Risk in an Emergency guide for community service providers to consider and address factors that can increase a person’s level of risk in an emergency.
This resource includes an emergency risk self-assessment for individuals. Click here to Download >
Step 3- Bushfire facts:
BRN Bushfire Essentials provides key bushfire information such as the definitions of Fire Danger Ratings, explanation of bushfire Alerts and Warnings and what to include in a plan.
Step 4- Complete a bushfire safety guide:
The Bushfire Safety Guide features a plan template that can be used to assist the resident with the details of their plan - Click here to Download >
The TFS Bushfire Plan tool is an online template format for a plan.
Additional support
Agencies delivering volunteering programs, home care packages and NDIS can be supported by regional Community Development Officers that deliver the Bushfire-Ready Neighbourhoods program in targeted high risk communities.
Contact your regional CDO to organise a meeting or workshop for your volunteers, Carers and/or home care workers.