The plight of victims of recent bushfires who have lost everything is a stark warning for Orana residents that they need to be ready now, fire authorities say.
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Amid grim forecasts for the season households are being told it's "not too late" to get their bushfire survival plans together.
Mark Pickford from the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Orana zone reiterated the message in the wake of a weekend blaze north-east of Dubbo that was contained after an all-out effort.
"If the fires in the north of this state are anything to go by, then we don't need to get lulled into a false sense of security that because there is a drought on and because there's not a lot of grass around that fires won't take off and go hard on bad days," he said.
"That being the case, there's a potential for houses and outbuildings and the like to be lost..."
Mr Pickford, the NSW RFS Orana team district service coordinator, urged people to make planning a priority, with the first step downloading the bushfire survival plan.
"Sit down with your family and talk about what are the trigger points for when we need to evacuate, where are we going to meet if we do have to evacuate, what are the things we're going to take if we do have to evacuate," he said.
...put a few insurance policies and those sorts of things into a container or something that is ready...
- NSW Rural Fire Service Orana team's Mark Pickford
The consequences of failing to plan were highlighted.
"We see it on the media this past month with the fires up north, 'I didn't have time to get anything but the dog, I didn't have time and I've lost everything'," he said.
"...put a few insurance policies and those sorts of things into a container or something that is ready so if you do get that call, especially if you're in a fire-prone area, you've got that bag you can grab and go.
"Put your plan together as to what you're going to do and when you're going to and how you're going to go."