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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsA workable bushfire plan answers four questions before smoke is on the horizon: when will we leave, where will we go, how will we get there, and is the evacuation kit ready? For most households, leaving early is safer than waiting for a warning or trying to decide during a fast-moving fire. Write the plan together, nominate a destination and alternate route, include people and animals who may need help, and keep a stocked kit where everyone can reach it. Use your state or territory fire and emergency service for current alert levels, warnings, apps and safer-place information.
Start with the four decisions your household must make
A plan is useful only if every person who may need to act understands it. Set aside time before fire season and record the answers in writing, on paper and in a phone-accessible copy. Official guidance in New South Wales and Queensland frames the practical decisions as follows:
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- When will we leave? Agree a trigger based on forecast fire danger, local conditions and your household’s ability to travel. Leaving early is the safest option in the cited state guidance; you do not have to wait for an official warning if you believe staying is unsafe.
- Where will we go? Name a specific off-site destination, such as a relative’s home or another place outside the threatened area. Identify at least one alternate destination in case the first is inaccessible.
- How will we get there? Map more than one route and decide what you will do if a road is closed, a bridge is cut, a vehicle fails or smoke makes travel hazardous.
- Is the evacuation kit ready? Keep supplies packed in a waterproof, clearly identified container and practise loading it with people, mobility equipment and animals.
The NSW household bushfire plan guidance and Queensland Fire Department’s bushfire preparation advice both stress making decisions in advance rather than relying on a last-minute warning.
Use the warning system for your state or territory
Australia does not have one national household warning interface. Alert names, apps, maps, evacuation instructions and designated safer places vary by jurisdiction and can change. Bookmark your local fire agency and emergency-management pages, install the official alert app if one is offered, and learn which radio and telephone channels operate in your area.
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New South Wales example
NSW households can monitor local ABC radio and the official Hazards Near Me and NSW Rural Fire Service channels for incidents, alerts and advice. The NSW Government household-plan page is an entry point to current information. These are NSW examples, not a substitute for the system used in another state or territory.
Queensland example
Queensland Fire Department provides its own bushfire warnings, planning tools and information about Neighbourhood Safer Places. Its prepare-for-bushfires page explains that a Neighbourhood Safer Place is a place of last resort. It may save lives but does not guarantee safety, so do not treat one as an equivalent replacement for leaving early to a planned destination.
Check the date and jurisdiction
Emergency pages are updated as systems change. NSW household-plan information displayed an update date of 18 October 2023, while Queensland’s kit page was updated 10 August 2026 and its preparation page 31 August 2026. Before each fire season, revisit the current page for your location rather than relying on a saved screenshot or an old alert label.
Build the household plan step by step
1. List everyone and assign responsibilities
Write the names of household members, regular visitors and anyone who may need assistance: young children, older people, people with disability, people with medical or communication needs and anyone without independent transport. Assign an adult to each child or dependent person. Record who collects medication, who loads the kit, who checks the property and who transports each animal. Make a second arrangement for the possibility that the primary helper is away.
Include contact details for a trusted person outside the immediate fire area. Tell that person the plan and ask them to be the person who receives your departure and arrival messages.
2. Set a leave trigger before conditions deteriorate
Choose the conditions that will make you leave, such as a forecast day of extreme fire danger, a nearby fire, a road closure or a household member becoming unable to travel safely. Base the decision on your circumstances as well as official advice. The NSW guidance says a household should prepare and leave early if concerned for its safety and need not wait for an official warning. Queensland Fire Department states, “Leaving early is always the safest option.”
Write the trigger in plain language, for example: “If a fire is reported in our district, conditions exceed our agreed threshold, or official advice indicates the route may close, we depart for the nominated destination.” Decide who has authority to make the final call if mobile service fails. A warning can arrive late, communications can be interrupted and fire behaviour can change rapidly, so the trigger should not depend on receiving a particular message.
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3. Choose a destination and map alternate routes
Record the street address, contact person and access instructions for your primary destination. Then choose a second destination outside the likely impact area. Map at least two routes from home to each destination, noting bridges, narrow roads, unsealed sections, low-lying crossings and places where a closure would leave no alternative.
Drive the routes in advance if possible. Identify fuel stations, hospitals and places where you could safely stop without blocking emergency traffic. Do not plan to drive through smoke or fire. If an official direction closes your route, follow the designated alternative rather than improvising from a paper map.
Queensland’s planning tool asks households to select a safe place, choose more than one route and tell someone when they leave and arrive. Use that structure even if you make your plan on paper.
4. Plan for people being in different places
List what happens when children are at school, adults are at work and relatives are elsewhere. Check each institution’s collection and emergency-communication procedure. Choose a reconnection point outside the fire area and a second point if that location is inaccessible. Decide whether family members should travel directly to the destination or wait for a nominated adult; avoid sending people back into a threatened area to collect someone.
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5. Include pets, livestock and support equipment
Decide which vehicle will carry each animal, who handles it and where it will stay at the destination. Contact a suitable local authority, boarding facility or livestock service in advance if an animal cannot travel with you. Do not rely on finding space during an emergency.
For assistance equipment, list wheelchairs, walkers, oxygen equipment, hearing devices, chargers and spare batteries. Measure whether these items fit in the vehicle with passengers and the evacuation kit; if they do not, arrange a second vehicle or an accessible transport option before fire season.
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6. Add a failure plan
Write what you will do if the vehicle will not start, a tyre fails, a road becomes unsafe, a family member is separated or an animal cannot be loaded. Keep paper maps, keys and contact details with the kit. A plan that works only when every phone, car and road functions is incomplete.
7. Practise and record the plan
Run a daytime drill: announce the trigger, gather people and animals, collect medication and documents, load the vehicle and send the departure message. Time the process without treating the result as a guarantee; the purpose is to expose missing items and bottlenecks. Repeat after any change in household membership, vehicle, medication, school, workplace or destination.
NSW describes its online plan as something that can be made in about 15 minutes, while the NSW Rural Fire Service survival-plan page says its online tool can take as little as five minutes. These are page-specific service estimates, not a promise that your household plan will be complete in that time. The NSW RFS survival-plan page and Queensland’s Your Bushfire Survival Plan tool can help you structure the discussion.
Decide when to leave and what to do once you go
Leaving early avoids the period when roads may be crowded, visibility poor and emergency vehicles moving in the opposite direction. It also gives people who need more time—young children, older people, people with disability and animals—a safer margin.
- Check the current fire, road and weather information before departure and continue checking it while travelling.
- Follow evacuation directions, road closures and instructions from the responsible emergency service.
- Tell your nominated contact where you are going and confirm when you arrive.
- Keep windows closed if smoke is present, slow down and stop in a safe place if visibility becomes inadequate. Never drive through fire or dense smoke.
- Do not return for forgotten belongings once authorities have directed you away.
A designated last-resort place may be dangerous, crowded or exposed. Use it only according to current local instructions; it is not a reason to delay an early departure or a planned destination.
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Assemble an evacuation kit that can leave immediately
Queensland Fire Department says to prepare the kit before it is needed, store it in a waterproof container in an accessible place known to everyone and practise loading it into the car. Choose a container that one person can move, or split supplies into labelled bags if the total load is heavy. Keep the container near an exit rather than buried in a shed.
| Category | Pack | Specific guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Water and food | Drinking water, non-perishable food and eating utensils | The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) checklist specifies at least 3 litres of water per person. Add more for heat, medical needs, pets and the journey. NSW advice says to plan supplies for several days. |
| Medication | Prescription and essential medicines, copies of prescriptions and a medication list | NEMA specifies a minimum of three days of medication and prescriptions. Include refrigeration or administration equipment where required. |
| Clothing | Natural-fibre long-sleeved shirt, long pants, sturdy boots, hat and a change of clothes | Natural fibres are listed in Queensland and NEMA guidance. Pack a set for each person and account for children who may outgrow clothing. |
| Smoke and eye protection | Goggles and suitable face masks | NSW emergency-kit advice includes P2/N95 masks, which can filter fine smoke particles. They do not make it safe to remain in a fire area or travel through flames. |
| First aid | First-aid kit and personal first-aid items | Check expiry dates and replace used contents after every drill or incident. |
| Lighting | Battery-powered or wind-up torch or head torch, with spare batteries | Queensland recommends storing spare batteries separately from the torch or radio and checking them every six months. |
| Information and communications | Battery-powered radio, mobile phone, charging cable and portable battery pack | Keep the radio usable without mains power. Charge the battery pack during routine household checks. |
| Warmth | Wool blankets | Include enough for each passenger, including an infant or person who becomes cold during a delay. |
| Documents and money | Insurance, home-ownership and identity documents, keys, cash, cards and contact sheet | Queensland suggests digital copies on USB or cloud storage; protect devices and passwords and keep essential paper copies as well. |
| Personal essentials | Wallets, hygiene items, glasses, hearing-device supplies and comfort items | Add only what your household needs, while keeping the load small enough to move quickly. |
| Pets | Carrier or lead, food, water, medication, toys or bedding and identification | Queensland recommends a microchip or identification tag and practising the animal’s movement and loading routine. |
See the Queensland Fire Department evacuation-kit list for its item guidance and the NEMA Bushfire Emergency Evacuation Checklist (version 2, dated 30 April 2025) for the national quantities. The NEMA quantities are checklist requirements for that document; they do not replace advice from your state service about local conditions.
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Keep a small grab bag separate
A large household container may be difficult to carry while supervising children or animals. Put a compact grab bag by the exit with medication, phone and cable, keys, wallet, glasses, water, a torch and the printed contact sheet. It supplements the main kit; it does not replace the food, blankets, documents or animal supplies in the vehicle load.
Prepare the vehicle and loading sequence
Practise the exact order in which items enter the vehicle. People and animals need to fit first; the kit must not block a child seat, mobility device, visibility or access to a door. Keep fuel above the level at which you would normally refill before a high-risk day. Check tyres, coolant, lights and spare-wheel equipment during routine servicing rather than waiting for a warning.
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- Place medication, identity documents, phone chargers and the contact sheet where they can be reached without unloading everything.
- Secure water and heavy containers low so they cannot become projectiles during sudden braking.
- Load animal carriers so ventilation is available and the carrier cannot slide.
- Keep a paper map and keys accessible to the driver and a second adult.
- Confirm every person is accounted for, send the departure message and check the official route information immediately before moving.
Keep the kit and plan current
Set a six-month reminder for batteries, torches, radio, food, water containers and first-aid supplies. Review medication at every prescription change and replace anything nearing expiry. Update copies of insurance and identity documents after a move, renewal or name change. Recheck clothing sizes, pet food, carriers and mobility equipment before each fire season.
At the same review, confirm that the primary and alternate destinations still accept your household, that contact numbers work, and that planned roads remain viable. Re-run the loading drill after changing vehicles or adding equipment. Store the latest paper plan with the kit and give a copy to the nominated out-of-area contact.
Adapt the plan for common household risks
Children and older people
Explain the departure routine in age-appropriate language and practise walking to the vehicle. Keep comfort items, hearing aids, glasses and mobility aids in the grab bag. Allow extra time for toileting, feeding and transfers when setting your leave trigger.
Disability, medical and communication needs
Write step-by-step instructions for equipment, medication timing and safe transport. Carry backup batteries, chargers and a paper medication list. Ask a support worker, neighbour or local emergency service about accessible transport and evacuation assistance before an incident.
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Pets and livestock
Keep leads, carriers and food together, and attach identification even if an animal is normally kept indoors. Maintain a list of species, numbers, medication and feeding instructions for anyone who may transport them. Arrange a destination for animals that cannot travel with the household; do not release them to fend for themselves.
Renters and apartment residents
Ask the landlord or building manager about alarm systems, access-controlled doors, lifts and fire exits. Identify stairs or other accessible exits if power fails. Keep the kit in your own dwelling, not in a locked common area that may be inaccessible during an evacuation.
Use this departure checklist
- Official local warnings, fire activity and road conditions checked.
- Leave trigger met and final decision-maker identified.
- People, pets and support equipment accounted for.
- Medication, prescriptions, water and documents in the vehicle.
- Phone, radio, torch, spare batteries and battery pack available.
- Natural-fibre clothing, boots, masks or goggles and blankets packed.
- Fuel, keys, alternate route and destination confirmed.
- Trusted contact told the departure route and destination.
- Arrival message sent when the household reaches safety.
For current warnings and instructions, return to your own state or territory fire and emergency service before acting. The plan and kit reduce avoidable delay, but official directions remain the authority when a fire is active.
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