By Wollongong Lord Mayor Councillor Tania Brown
It’s hard seeing the images and footage of the horrendous fires sweeping across California right now and to comprehend the huge scale of the event they’re experiencing.
As a community, our hearts go out to those who have lost loved ones in this wildfire disaster, whose homes have been gutted in the blazes, or who have had their lives turned upside-down by evacuation orders and the uncertainty of what comes next.
We’re in awe of those who put their lives on the line battling these huge and unpredictable fires.
It’s an experience that will likely raise difficult memories for many in our community. While our local government area has been fortunate in recent years, we’ve seen bushfires devastate our neighbouring communities and councils, as well as areas like Helensburgh in 2001.
The sad fact is we’re going to see more and more bushfires and wildfires like this as a result of climate change – just as we’re going to see the increased risk of intense rainfall events and flooding.
As a community, we need to be working now to build our resilience to face these challenges head on and reduce our risk.
At Council we work with emergency services and other agencies to help plan for, deal with and recover from emergencies.
As part of our preventative and preparation work, we’re members of the Illawarra Local Emergency Management Committee, and we work with the Rural Fire Service to implement the Fiready and Asset Protection Zone program. Fiready is a program that helps residents to reduce the risk of bushfires by clearing vegetation and fuel in bushland near homes.
While we’re in peak fire season, it’s not too late to ensure you’ve got a plan. Take a moment to consider your home, your family and their needs and to make sure you’ve a fire plan in place.
It’s more than just cleaning your gutters – although this is a great step! Council’s website is where you’ll find links that will get you prepared. Get Ready | City of Wollongong
By having a plan in place you’re giving yourself the best chance of survival should you be threatened by a bushfire.
