Fire plans important ahead of potentially catastrophic conditions
Households are urged to be proactive and know any potential fire risks on their property as temperatures soar into the high 30s.
Penrith
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Firefighters are urging the public to stay wary during potentially catastrophic fire conditions over the next two days in Penrith and the Blue Mountains.
Penrith Fire and Rescue station officer, Cliff Van Eck, said crews were letter boxing around high-risk spots.
“Penrith is at the same risk as any other area not alight, but we do have years of build up of leaf litter,” he said.
“People are generally aware as to whether they’ll be at risk in a bushfire, and if they don’t do the preparation, the risk goes up significantly.
“If a fire does occur, the risk will depend on where it starts and what the weather is like. The outskirts of Penrith are potentially at an extreme risk in the case of a fire.”
Mr Van Eck said it was important for every household to have a bushfire survival plan regardless of its location.
“I suggest people go to the RFS website, look at what they can do for their property, have a fire plan, and prepare accordingly,” he said.
“We triage houses in a fire, but if they’re unsaveable, we won’t waste our time.
“People should continually assess their property, their gutters and the fuel load around their homes to reduce their risk.”
A total fire ban applies to most of the state today, and with temperatures expected to sit in the high 30s tomorrow, Mr Van Eck said it was important for people to follow all instructions from fire brigades.
“Don’t do anything that can cause a fire outside,” he said.
“This means no solid-fuel fires, no grinding or welding, and no activities that could cause a fire unless you have an exemption.
“You’ll find with extremely low humidity and temperatures and wind, any spark can cause a fire to spread quickly.”
Blue Mountains Mayor Mark Greenhill said he was “hoping and praying for a bunch of boring, warm days where nothing happens”.
“I’m getting constant updates from the Rural Fire Service, but unfortunately the terrain up here is unpredictable,” he said.
“We won’t know what is going to happen until it does, but if something does happen, we’ll deal with it.”
Cr Greenhill trusts his community will respond correctly.
“Our community has been through this before - just in 2013 we lost 200 homes here,” he said.
“We know the way for us to get through this is together. Reach out to those living alone, check in on them, see how they are.
“Check on people that are older or less mobile, and make sure they’re OK.
“We get through this by sticking together.”