Our friends in Australia seem to do a better job than we do in the United States of educating the public about being prepared for wildfires, or bush fires as they are known down under.
The Rural Fire Service of New South Wales in Australia has an interesting publication titled Myth Busters, covering some of the common myths about bush fires and bush fire safety. “Not knowing the facts can be life threatening for you and your family”.
The text on the image is a little hard to read, but here are the myths that are listed:
- There will always be a fire truck available to fight a bush fire threatening my home.
- It won’t happen to me.
- Fire travels slower up hill.
- I’ll be fine; the bush is a few streets away.
- Standing on my roof and hosing it down with water will help.
- Filling the bath tub when a fire is approaching is to sit in.
- If I know the back streets in my suburb or town really well, it will be okay for me to leave at the very last minute.
- A house can explode if it catches on fire.
HERE is a link to another publication about bush fire myths, this time from the state of Victoria. And another one from the Christmas Hills Fire Brigade in Victoria.
