Leave before the fire starts whenever your bushfire plan says it is time to go. Do not wait for flames, smoke, a text alert or an official warning if conditions have already reached your departure trigger. In Australia, the national Fire Danger Rating system says to leave bushfire-risk areas for your survival on a Catastrophic day and to take action immediately to protect life and property on an Extreme day. Your state or territory fire authority’s live instructions always determine the safest current route and destination.
The timing answer in one view
- Before a fire threatens: leave when your written plan says to leave, using the local Fire Danger Rating as an early trigger.
- Catastrophic rating: leave bushfire-risk areas for your survival.
- Extreme rating: take action now to protect life and property; do not wait for a fire to be visible.
- Victoria-specific timing: the Country Fire Authority (CFA) advises people in high-fire-risk areas to leave the night before, or by 10 am on, an Extreme or Catastrophic day.
- A nearby fire or active warning: act quickly, leave if it is safe, and follow the current emergency-service direction for routes and destinations.
The clock time and trigger can differ by jurisdiction and household. Treat the Victorian 10 am advice as CFA Victoria guidance, not a national rule.
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Fire danger ratings and fire warnings are different
A Fire Danger Rating describes how dangerous a fire could become under the day’s weather and fuel conditions. It is used to make decisions before a particular fire is threatening your location. A warning or emergency message concerns an actual incident and tells you what is happening and what action is currently required.
| National rating | Official action | What it means for departure planning |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate | Plan and prepare | Review your written plan, check supplies, confirm transport and identify where you would go. |
| High | Be ready to act | Keep bags, vehicles, medications and essential documents ready so you can leave without a long preparation delay. |
| Extreme | Take action now to protect life and property | If you live in a bushfire-risk area, your plan may call for leaving before conditions deteriorate. Follow your state or territory agency’s timing advice. |
| Catastrophic | For your survival, leave bushfire-risk areas | Do not treat this as a day to wait and see. Leave according to your plan before a fire starts. |
The Bureau of Meteorology describes these actions for the national Australian Fire Danger Rating System. State and territory fire agencies set the ratings and publish local information. Check the rating every day during bushfire season rather than relying on yesterday’s conditions.
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When to leave before a fire starts
Use a pre-agreed trigger
Decide in calm conditions what event starts your departure. A trigger can be a particular Fire Danger Rating, a forecast for severe conditions, a local agency instruction, or a combination of these. Write it down and tell everyone in the household. A pre-agreed trigger prevents an argument at the moment visibility is poor, roads are crowded and communications may be intermittent.
Apply the CFA Victoria timing carefully
CFA guidance for people in high fire risk areas is to leave the night before, or by 10 am on, an Extreme or Catastrophic day. This gives a household a specific early-departure window, but it is not a universal Australian deadline. If you live outside Victoria, use the relevant state or territory fire authority’s advice instead of importing the 10 am time.
Do not wait for a warning
CFA advises people not to wait for an official warning, smoke or visible flames before leaving when their plan says to go. A warning is valuable information, not permission to delay. NSW Government guidance notes that some fires spread so rapidly that people may not receive an alert or warning before conditions become dangerous.
If a fire is already nearby or a warning is active
Move from planning to action. Read the current warning and action statement from the responsible state or territory emergency service and follow its destination and route instructions. Conditions can change quickly, so never assume a road that was open earlier remains safe.
- Confirm the incident information. Check the official emergency-service channel available to you. Note the warning level, affected locations, recommended destinations and any road closures.
- Leave promptly if it is safe. Drive away from the fire toward a low-risk area, following current directions. Do not stop to watch the fire, collect non-essential belongings or investigate smoke.
- Tell your contacts. Send a short message to the person designated in your plan, stating that you have left and where you are going. Keep calls brief so networks remain available.
- Call Triple Zero (000) for an emergency. CFA advises calling if you see or smell smoke and are not aware of an existing fire or planned burn. Give the location as precisely as possible and follow the operator’s instructions.
- Recheck official updates while travelling. Use live directions for route changes, road closures and evacuation centres. If authorities direct you to a different destination, follow that instruction rather than continuing to a pre-planned location.
If smoke, fallen trees, flames or traffic make travel unsafe, do not improvise a route through the fire zone. Stop only where emergency authorities direct and follow their instructions.
Build a leave-early plan before the season
A useful plan answers six practical questions: when will we leave, where will we go, how will we get there, what will we take, whom will we tell, and what is our backup if the first option fails?
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1. Set the departure decision
Record the rating, forecast or warning that triggers departure for your household. Include a latest-departure time only if your local authority provides one; never use a self-imposed time as a reason to delay after an official order.
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Choose a location outside the fire-prone area, such as family or friends in a safer suburb or town, and identify at least one alternative. Confirm that the destination is willing to receive you, can accommodate household members and animals, and can be reached by more than one route under normal conditions.
3. Plan transport
Keep vehicles fuelled, roadworthy and parked so they can leave without reversing through clutter. Decide who drives, how children and animals are secured, and what happens if the usual driver is away. Households without a car should arrange a ride or other transport well before a high-risk day.
4. Prepare people and animals
Assign tasks to adults, explain the trigger to children and practise loading. Include pets, livestock, mobility equipment and medication in the plan. Keep leashes, carriers and essential animal supplies together so they do not become a last-minute search.
5. Pack an accessible departure kit
Keep identification, medications, prescriptions, phone chargers, water, food, first-aid supplies, protective clothing, important documents and keys together. Add items specific to your household, such as glasses, infant supplies, mobility aids or pet records. A kit reduces delay; it does not make late departure safe.
6. Name a contact and backup action
Choose one person outside the immediate danger area as the family contact. Agree where to meet if communications fail. Write down what each person should do if the primary destination or route is closed, and update the plan when household circumstances change.
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How to choose a route and destination during an incident
Use the route recommended in the live emergency message, not a route remembered from a previous fire. Fire fronts, smoke, road closures and evacuation-centre locations can change. Keep maps available in case mobile coverage fails, but treat them as orientation aids rather than proof that a road is open.
- Drive away from the fire and toward the authorised low-risk destination.
- Obey police, fire and traffic-control directions even when they differ from your normal route.
- Do not enter closed roads, smoke-filled valleys or areas marked for evacuation.
- Keep headlights on, allow extra following distance and expect sudden stops.
- If you lose contact with the person you are travelling to, continue following official directions instead of stopping in an unsafe area.
There is no fixed route that can be declared safe for every bushfire. The responsible emergency authority’s current direction takes precedence over a map, app or earlier message.
Warnings, alerts and backup information
Keep official emergency alerts enabled on your phone and know which state or territory service issues warnings in your area. Follow the service’s action words exactly; a message telling you to evacuate is different from one telling you to monitor conditions.
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Check information through more than one official channel when possible, but avoid spending so long comparing messages that you miss your departure window. If an alert is delayed or absent, the absence of a message does not establish that conditions are safe.
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Delaying preserves fewer choices. Smoke can reduce visibility, roads can become congested or close, power and communications can fail, and a fire can change direction with weather and terrain. NSW Government warns that some fires spread so quickly that people may not receive a warning at all. CFA’s advice that leaving early is the best way to protect yourself and your family reflects this loss of time and options.
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Waiting for a clearer view of the fire also creates a false test: by the time flames are visible from your property, the safest departure window may have passed. Make the decision using the agreed trigger and official information, not by judging distance from smoke or flame.
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Households that need extra planning
Children, older people and people with disability
Allow additional loading and travel time, and arrange accessible transport before a high-risk day. Keep essential medications, communication devices and mobility equipment with the person who uses them. Do not assume an unfamiliar evacuation centre will have every required support.
Pets and livestock
Identify who collects each animal, where animals will stay and which facilities accept them. Keep carriers, leads, feed and water ready. Livestock may need earlier movement than household pets; obtain local agricultural or emergency-service advice for your area.
Visitors, tenants and workers
Tell visitors and short-term occupants the departure trigger when they arrive. Workplaces and accommodation providers should explain their evacuation arrangements rather than leaving guests to interpret local conditions themselves.
If you have not left and conditions deteriorate
Late departure is more hazardous than early departure. If authorities issue an evacuation direction, follow it immediately if a safe route remains available. If roads are blocked, flames surround the area, or you cannot travel safely, call Triple Zero (000) and state your exact location, the people with you and any urgent medical or mobility needs. Follow emergency-service instructions; do not assume a house, private shelter or a last-minute refuge will protect you from the fire.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesKeep everyone together, stay away from smoke and flames, and do not re-enter an evacuated area to collect belongings. Only leave a designated refuge or return home when emergency authorities say it is safe.
Common timing mistakes to avoid
- Waiting for a text alert: alerts can be delayed or never received during a fast-moving fire.
- Using the Victorian 10 am rule everywhere: it is CFA Victoria guidance for high-risk areas, not a national deadline.
- Leaving only after seeing flames: visibility of a fire is not a reliable safety threshold.
- Assuming yesterday’s route is open: check live closures and directions.
- Taking too long to pack: prepare bags, vehicles, medication and animal supplies in advance.
- Driving toward smoke to investigate: report an unknown smoke smell or sight to Triple Zero (000) and follow the operator’s instructions.
- Returning for property: personal belongings are not worth entering an evacuation zone.
A practical departure checklist
- Check today’s Fire Danger Rating and your state or territory warning service.
- Apply your written departure trigger without waiting for smoke or flames.
- Load people, medications, documents, water, chargers, protective clothing and animal supplies.
- Fuel and position vehicles for an immediate exit.
- Tell your nominated contact that you are leaving and name your destination.
- Follow the current authorised route and obey road closures.
- Keep a battery-powered radio available for emergency broadcasts.
- Do not return until authorities announce that it is safe.
Where to get the current decision
The national rating gives an early indication of danger, while the responsible state or territory emergency service gives the incident-specific action, destination and route information. Check those official channels every day during bushfire season and whenever conditions change. If the local authority says to leave, leave immediately if it is safe to do so—regardless of whether a separate warning has reached your phone.
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