Planning for Bushfire Safety
Bushfires can occur anywhere, at anytime in a regional or semi urban environment and there is no guarantee that the SA Country Fire Service (CFS) will be able to provide a fire appliance at every door. All businesses, organisations and individuals who work in or visit bushfire prone areas need to develop and implement their own Bushfire Safety policies, plans and procedures.
For businesses and organisations operating in bushfire prone areas, the risk of bushfire to life, assets and business continuity needs to be addressed in your risk assessment process. Bushfire safety plans and procedures should be integral components of your daily operations. They can be included in either your Integrated Management System, Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) System and/or Emergency Management Systems.
Bushfire safety plans need to consider preparation for days of high fire danger and what to do in the event of a bushfire. They should be tailored to suit the business and include simple things that can be acted upon.
Before the plan is written it is critical to understand the level of bushfire risk of the location, the Fire Danger Rating, what type of fire could be expected and what actions are the most appropriate to suit the risk. You also need to understand how the Fire Danger Season and Total Fire Bans will impact on your operations through legislative requirements for operation of machinery and equipment and the use of fire for cooking, personal comfort, fuel reduction or burn offs.
The plan should reflect the needs of your individual business, personnel, volunteers and clients involved. Once a plan has been prepared it should be practiced to make sure it works and that all involved are familiar with their roles.
Protect your life and assets with careful planning.
PREPARE. ACT. SURVIVE. The key to bushfire survival.
There are six key steps to get your organisation bushfire ready. Click here to read more.
Download the NEW Bushfire Safety & Survival for business and organisations here.
Download the NEW Business Bushfire Safety Plan templates here.
