DFES urge Mid West communities to prepare for bushfire season by having an emergency plan in place over summer

Fire authorities are urging people to confront how they would respond in the event of a bushfire, while warning communities not to risk emergency preparation until it’s too late. The Government launched the summer bushfire campaign on Sunday after a record 3528 bushfire warnings were issued in the past financial year across the State. From December 1, 2021 to February 28, 2022 there were 189 bushfires reported in the Mid West-Gascoyne region, burning more than 372,226 hectares of land, but only 16 per cent of Western Australians completed a bushfire plan. To prepare the State for bushfire season, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services recruited and trained 60 more firefighters and delivered 42 new appliances to WA career and volunteer fire stations since January. Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said in the past year, emergency services had faced demanding challenges to protect their community. “We know the single-biggest killer when it comes to bushfires is indecision, so we urge people to make their own bushfire plan, or update it, to keep their family and property safe,” he said. DFES Commissioner Darren Klemm said bushfires are more intense and longer-lived than previous decades, and it was important every Western Australian was fire-prepared. “Around 90 per cent of the State is bushfire-prone. Having a plan helps you answer three critical questions when threatened by a bushfire: when will you leave, where will you go and how will you get there.” Visit mybushfireplan.wa.gov.au to create or update your plan.