WOMAN: The winds coming off that fire
going up the hill were so strong
we could barely run against it.
I've never been through anything like this before, and it's just...
..it's just really overwhelming.
OLIVIA: As a lot of Aussies know too well,
bushfires are a terrifying
and sometimes devastating thing to go through.
Just recently, we've seen some big fires,
including the one in Perth, which destroyed more than 80 homes,
and another in the Adelaide Hills just a week before.
It's why it's so important to be prepared.
This is the Trewartha family.
They live in the hills outside of Adelaide,
where bushfires are a constant risk.
Hi. Hello. I'm Sarah from the Country Fire Service.
I'm Amy. Tom.
And Tom.
Today, we've asked an expert
to check out their bushfire survival plan.
Sarah says the first part of a bushfire survival plan
is figuring out whether or not you're at risk.
Well, we've got lots of trees around our property,
fair bit of land, and lots of dry grass
out on some of our paddocks.
It's not just people who live in the bush
that are at risk of fires.
There's also a risk if you live close to grassy paddocks,
coastal scrub,
or even in cities or towns
where suburbs meet bush or grassland.
So, what do you do to prepare for bushfire season around your home?
We pick up any bark or dead branches
from around the house.
We're going to put sprinklers around the roof.
We have a firefighting pump
with firefighting hoses.
So if fires come to our house, it's going to be a bit safer.
So far, so good.
As well as preparing around their home,
Amy and Tom spent some time thinking about what they'd need to do
on a high-fire-risk day.
Pack a bag with special things,
things you can't replace.
Make sure that the horses are in the safest paddock,
and make sure the sheep are in the safest paddock, too.
Would you like to meet the horses? I'd love to!
Ah, what are their names?
So, this is Opal. The little one down there is Toto.
This big one here is Topaz.
And then over there is Cherish.
Oh, wow!
So, if you have to leave the property
because a bushfire is coming, do you take the horses?
Yeah, we take the horses.
We put them in the horse float.
Sarah says it's important not to forget about pets
when you're drawing up a fire plan, and make sure you can
quickly gather up the furry members of your family.
These guys have also prepared an emergency kit.
These downpipe plugs for the gutters.
Leather gloves. Leather gloves.
A drink bottle to drink from.
In the backpack we have a first aid kit
in case someone gets injured,
a radio - battery operated -
a torch, or two torches,
and then our pillowcases,
which we will pack with our favourite things.
Sarah says that writing down your plan is a really good idea,
but you should also try to think
of what you do in different situations.
What if the fire comes in the middle of the night?
What if a fire starts at 5am in the morning?
What if everyone's at school? What if you're all separated?
So there's so many different scenarios about what might happen,
and that's why writing a bushfire survival plan
can be hard work, 'cause you've got to think of all these things,
but it is really worthwhile.
Looks like you've worked really hard at your planning and preparation,
and it feels like it's a really good family decision about what you do.
Sarah says there are resources online
that can help you if you want to draw up a plan like these guys,
and it's something we should all do if we live in a fire-prone area
to make the Aussie summer a little safer.