How to stay safe in a bushfire By Ainslie Mckellar

What is a Bushfire? A bushfire is a fire that starts in bushland/forest it can start when a strong wind comes the fire will jump and can get out of control then that’s when it can become a disaster. There is also grassfires that usually start on farmland. The most dangerous thing about bushfires or any uncontrolled fire is it can jump roads and catch onto bushes and trees.

Many things can cause bushfires. Such as leaving campsite fires unattended because people think it has gone out but really it hasn’t. A gust of wind comes and picks the fire up and the fire jumps. Other things that cause bushfires are glass bottles catch on to the suns light and cause a bushfire. Lightning can also start bushfires. The scariest thing about bushfires is one small fire can lead to hundreds of bigger fires in the area. Such as in the Black Saturday bushfires over 400 fires started. What causes a bushfire

What warning systems are there for a bushfire? When there is a bushfire always make sure you have a radio or something to listen to reports on what’s happening with the bushfires in your area. Also if you are driving there is signs on the side of the road that say what the rating is ~low- moderate, high, very high, severe, extreme, code red (catastrophic) and whatever the arrow is pointing to is if you need to take action or just be prepared. There is also a thing called Phone Tree this is when a fire happens you call your neighbour and they call the next neighbour and so forth.

What damage does it cause? When a bushfire happens it can cause either little or a lot of damage some of the damage is bad and some is surprisingly good. Some plants that are native to Australia need to be burnt to re-grow. Some of the damage the bushfire can cause is burn houses farmland and even people’s lives can be lost in bushfires. Most fire fighting deaths happen when the wind changes direction and there is no time to leave.

Some safety tips for a bushfire Some tips to say safe if you are caught in a bushfire are to have a survival plan and leave early. Before the bush fire season you should ask your self the following questions. -Do you have any trees or bushes around your home for a fire to catch onto? -Do you have any trees or bushes around your home for a fire to catch onto? -Do you live in or near bushland or forest? -Do you live in or near bushland or forest? -Has a bushfire happened near or around your area in the past year? -Has a bushfire happened near or around your area in the past year? - Are your gutters clean from dry leaves and sticks and other things the fire can catch onto ? - Are your gutters clean from dry leaves and sticks and other things the fire can catch onto ?

If you answered yes to two or three of the questions it’s a good idea to have a plan and leave early. Your plan should be a simple plan that your whole family knows so they can all do what your plan says not tell them just before the bushfire hits your area.

How science has helped with bushfires You are probably thinking how do they call a total fire ban. Well total fire bans are declared by CFA (Country Fire Authority) on days when fires are likely for a bushfire to spread very quickly and be difficult to control. Another thing fire-fighters do to lower the chance of a bushfire happening is they set of controlled ground fires this is were they burn of sections of the ground to prevent a bushfire happening. How does this work? How does this work? It works because fire can’t catch onto ash and so if they burn the ground it acts like a wall and the fire doesn’t go any further.

What do you do in case of a bushfire? In case of a bushfire always check weather warnings regally and leave early. bushfirepress.com

the The end. Hope you enjoyed reading and you learnt heaps dfes.wa.gov.au Edmundrice.org.au blacksaturdaybushfire.com.au