Emergencies can strike without warning, and it's important that you and your family know what you will do. It is crucial to be prepared and having a written and practiced plan can help:
- at home
- at school
- at work
- in your community
Emergency REDiPlan
When you prepare a household emergency plan we recommend you follow the Australian Red Cross' easy-to-follow Four Step Emergency REDiPlan.
- Be informed: take an all-hazards approach to preparedness. We encourage you to understand your environment and all potential threats. Learn about sources of information or help in an emergency.
- Make a plan: cover your household procedures for both evacuation and staying at home, considering both short-term requirements and longer-term needs like insurance cover and financial security. Your underlying premise: 'protect what's important to you'.
- Get an emergency kit: from survival essentials to passports and photographs, look for advice on useful items to keep handy in case of emergency.
- Know your neighbours: research shows that people who feel part of their community are more likely to be prepared for, and to help each other in, an emergency. We encourage simple community-building exercises to help you get to know your neighbours.
Preparing a bushfire emergency plan
Make sure you are familiar with bushfire planning and have a bushfire fire plan prepared should you need it. Visit the CFA Victoria website, which also has information on pets and bushfires.
The Victorian Multicultural Commission has collated a range of bushfire safety information available in other languages.