Our fire preparedness workshop highlighted the need for us to prepare a fire communication and evacuation plan for our village. This is also an initiative listed in our Local Community Plan.
A bushfire to the west of the village could quite quickly cut off our road access, our power and possibly our communications.
For example, if a bushfire threatens:
How to make sure people in the village are aware of the fire?
If the road is cut, what do we do, how do we evacuate, where do we go?
What do we do if our power and communications are cut as well?
What about our infirm residents, or those that can’t drive? How do we look after them?
What about family pets at home where their owners are way for work?
We do need to plan for this, and have a plan for our village that we can implement if necessary.
Fortunately there are experts out there that will help us prepare such a plan. Maria Frazer from Reconstruction NSW, Heidi Chappelow from Local Land Services who were at the workshop have both offered to assist us to prepare a plan. And Peter Brown and Steve Carmichael from MidCoast Council, and Bill Moller our RFS brigade captain can advise.
But they can’t prepare the plan for us – we need to do this ourselves!
We need a small group of local volunteers to work together, only three or four people, with the assistance and guidance of Maria, Heidi, Steve, Peter and Bill, to prepare this plan for our community. And now is the time to do it – with a possible high risk bushfire season coming up.
So this is a call for volunteers – three or four community minded people who would be willing to spend some time over the next two months working together to prepare a bushfire communications and evacuation plan for our village.
If you are interesting in being part of this group, please let us know – send an email to naccai@northarmcove.nsw.au, or give me a call on 0419 475 496.
