Are you fire ready?

If you are worried about fires on Phillip Island on days like today - where the entire shire is under an extreme fire danger rating - there are some things you can do to be prepared.

Visit the Bass Coast Emergency Dashboard.

The Dashboard compiles information from emergency agencies, and includes weather warnings, road closures and power outage information.

It has both general information, and information specifically for your community.

In Bass Coast, there are five Bushfire Places of Last Resort locations.

On Phillip Island these are the Cowes Recreation Reserve (1-15 Church Street) and Woolamai Park (11-19 Sunnyside Avenue, Cape Woolamai).

There are also Places of Last Resort at Inverloch Community Hub, Grantville Memorial Park and Cape Paterson.

There is a Total Fire Ban in place for the entire state today (January 9). This means no burning off, gas or electric barbeques in a permanent structure only, and solid fuel barbeques are banned. No welding, grinding, soldering. A full list of what you can and can't do is available on the CFA website.

Advice

Back in November, the San Remo CFA held a Fire Awareness Session outside IGA. At the time, brigade captain Mark Thiele said part of getting ready for fire season is about preparing your house and garden.

"Sometimes simple things can make a difference. For example, if a doormat is left out and embers are blown onto it, it's combustible material, and the fire is going to spread.

"Anything you can do to make your house more resistant to ember attack is going to help."

He said Phillip Island was fortunate to be surrounded by water, so it was "reasonably protected".

"But there are still properties that are neighbouring grass and scrub areas, and we're trying to appeal to those owners to make sure they're prepared if a fire started.

"It only takes one spark from a barbeque, an incidental thing to start a fire somewhere on the island."

Fire ready

The CFA advised all property owners to prepare for summer by cleaning up around the house, and to have a clear plan of what to do if a fire does break out.

• On hot, dry, windy days, fires can start and spread quickly. If the Fire Danger Rating is Extreme or Catastrophic, leaving early before a fire has started is the safest option.
• If you wait and decide to leave after a fire has started, you risk driving your family through thick smoke, fallen trees and power lines, and face the danger of collisions, being trapped by fire, serious injury or death.
• Understand your risk and plan ahead. Know what to do on hot, dry, windy days and plan for all situations. Talk to your family and friends about how you'll know when to leave, where you'll go and how you will get there.
• Fire Danger Ratings tell you how dangerous a fire would be if one started. As the ratings increase, so does the risk that fires will be fast-moving and uncontrollable. An Extreme fire danger rating or higher should be your trigger to leave. To find out more about fire danger ratings visit cfa.vic.gov.au/firedangerratings
• Never wait for an official warning before you leave, as you may not get one. Fires can start quickly and threaten homes and lives within minutes. Make sure you have a plan.
• If you can see smoke or fire, driving is extremely dangerous. Thick smoke makes it hard to see, making traffic jams and collisions more likely. Lack of visibility will make it hard to know where the fire is. Travel will be dangerous.
• People have died trying to save their animals. To keep them safe, decide now what you will do with your pets and horses on hot, dry, windy days.
• If you're travelling through bush or grasslands this summer, check the conditions for your destination and any areas you will travel through before you go. Listen to local radio for warnings and advice while you're on the road, and check conditions regularly throughout your stay. Download the VicEmergency app, visit emergency.vic.gov.au, and save the VicEmergency Hotline (1800 226 226) into your mobile phone. Never travel into bush or grassland areas where a Catastrophic Fire Danger Rating has been forecast.
• Preparing your property means you can reduce the chance of property loss during a fire; even if you plan to leave early. Find more information about property preparation at cfa.vic.gov.au/prepare
• People have lost their homes due to simple things like embers landing on their doormat. Before you leave, move anything that can burn away from your house.