The CFA’s annual post-season bushfire community survey found 88 per cent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that leaving early was the safest option.
Yet 81 per cent admitted they would not leave until a fire was already bearing down on the landscape — a delay that could prove fatal.
CFA chief officer Jason Heffernan said the results showed bushfire safety messages were reaching communities, but residents still needed to understand when to act.
“It’s encouraging to see so many Victorians understand that leaving early is the safest way to protect themselves and their family,” Mr Heffernan said.
“But knowing that leaving early is safest and knowing when to act are two different things.”
Mr Heffernan said residents should leave before a fire starts threatening their area, rather than waiting until they could see flames or smell smoke.
“CFA’s position is clear, do not stay and defend,” he said.
While 93 per cent of respondents said they had a bushfire plan, just 13 per cent had actually put it in writing, which raises serious questions about how prepared households really are.
Mr Heffernan encouraged residents to have a clear plan covering when they would leave, where they would go and what they would do if their preferred route became unsafe.
The survey also found many residents expected emergency services to assist them during a bushfire.
About 63 per cent believed they were likely or very likely to receive assistance from fire trucks to defend their property, while 77 per cent expected emergency services to tell them when to leave.
“During a bushfire, we cannot guarantee a fire truck will be at every property,” Mr Heffernan said.
“Don’t wait for a fire truck or a verbal warning from firefighters to act.”
Residents are urged to stay across emergency information by downloading the VicEmergency app, tuning in to emergency broadcasters, following CFA on social media and checking the CFA website regularly.
With hot and dry conditions forecast across much of Victoria this spring, the CFA is urging residents to attend a Get Fire Ready event in October, connect with their local brigade and have their bushfire plan locked in well before fire season hits.
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