Wildfire season in Australia lasts about four months around the Australian summer. Australians faced their deadliest wildfire season yet last year, leaving 173 people dead. More than 2,000 homes were destroyed. On average, Australia has to fight more than 50,000 fires in a typical year. Kevin Tolhurst, a fire management expert offered the following advice:
“People need to be more self-reliant, they need to be able to respond in a sensible and positive way,” Tolhurst said. “That requires good information, about the fire danger but also about where to go and when. We need to be building up our ability to get the word out quickly.”
He suggested using mobile phones or social networks such as Twitter to disseminate information not only to the public but also in the other direction, with people providing updates that can be used by fire towers and aircraft.
If you live in a hot spot that’s prone to wildfires, it’s important to learn all that you can about wildfire preparedness. You may need to evacuate your home in hurry, which means you’ll only have time to grab a “bug out” bag and run. In some cases, you may be able to stay where you are and put out small fires if you have the right tools and skills to do so.
Source:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/06/AR2009120601163_1.html