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This National Carers Week (Oct 13-19) CFA is urging Victorians who care for others living in high bushfire risk areas to make a fire plan using CFA's online module ahead of summer.
The learning module Bushfire Planning: You and the person you care for, developed with Carers Victoria, is for anyone who provides informal unpaid care or support to family members or friends with a disability, mental illness, chronic health issue or age-related condition.
The one-hour online lesson dives into who needs to be prepared, important roles played, how to start a conversation and build a plan, when to choose to stay or go, how to make it all work and what resources are available.
Dromana Fire Brigade member Tim Marchinton, who informally cares for his mum who lives rurally and remotely in a high-risk area said the module has been a valuable tool in setting her up for any type of emergency.
"Sometimes mum is on her own, and she lives in an area surrounded by a lot of natural bush, so we needed to have something that she could enact if I wasn't here," Tim said.
"Every summer she is concerned about the what if, having previously lived in another part of Gippsland that was affected by the Black Saturday bushfires.
"It's been challenging to chat through this, because up until Black Saturday, mum was of the mindset that you can stay and do what you need to do on your own.
"I've now got her to think differently by doing this plan and reassured her that we've got insurance and it's not worth trying to stay and fight."
Tim and his mum watched the module together, then went through what they learnt, condensing it into a checklist and a survival plan that she has nearby at all times.
"She now has a packed bag, with everything essential by the door as recommended, and we re-check that every summer. We make sure the batteries are fresh, that radios are in there with bottled water and a bowl is there for the dog," Tim said.
"A really important factor for mum throughout this process was incorporating contingencies so she could take her dog with her, otherwise she wasn't prepared to continue creating the plan.
"She knows on a Total Fire Ban (TFB) day to listen to the radio continuously, and to make sure her phone is always charged.
"It's been a great conversation starter, her exit road has two choices, so we've talked about where she would go if she was to leave early as her house is wooden and more vulnerable."
Due to the gravity of the information, Tim took a person-centred approach when working through the online learning with his mum and completed it over a number of sessions.
Ahead of and during summer Tim and his mum spend time cleaning up the property, emptying gutters and clearing leaves anything surrounding the area.
"We've put a ring sprinkler around the house so that there is some barrier against ember attack when she needs to leave, it has a 50,000L tank that is preserved for this purpose to create some sort of ember wash," Tim said.
"If she needs to leave quickly there is a safe spot for her on the neighbours' property surrounded by low cut grass. However, mum and her neighbours have already agreed that leaving early to go and stay with friends on a TFB day is the best course of action.
Since launching, 580 people have completed the module, with a further 184 currently in progress and another 107 enrolled to begin. Visit CFA's website at www.cfa.vic.gov.au/carers for a step-by-step guide on how to complete it. To learn more about Carers Victoria, visit www.carersvictoria.org.au
