CFS FACT SHEET

WHERE TO RELOCATE TO ON DAYS OF SEVERE, EXTREME AND CATASTROPHIC

FIRE WEATHER

If you live, work or travel in an area where bushfires can occur, and your Bushfire Survival Plan is to leave early on, or before a bad fire day, you need to be aware of where you can relocate to.
CFS has developed a hierarchy of places that can offer relative safety from bushfire. They are broken into three categories, and are called Safer Settlements, Bushfire Safer Precincts and Refuges of Last Resort. It is important that you know what each of these are, where they are, and what risk you may be exposed to if you use one of these options during a bushfire.

Hierarchy of Bushfire Safer Places in SA

SAFEST

LEAST SAFE

SAFER SETTLEMENT

Adelaide Metropolitan area and urban precincts of

rural cities.

Suitable for use during forecast bad fire weather or during bushfire.

SAFEST

LEAST SAFE

BUSHFIRE SAFER PRECINCT

Outer suburbs and rural settlements.

Suitable for use during forecast bad fire weather or during bushfire. May be subject to spark and ember attack and smoke.

SAFEST

LEAST SAFE

REFUGE OF LAST RESORT

Ovals, buildings in rural areas.

Not suitable for extended use and may provide only limited protection during bushfire.

Safer Settlement

A Safer Settlement is a place of first resort for people who have decided that they will leave their home early on a bad fire day.
A Safer Settlement is considered to provide the highest level of safety of the three options because it is in an area of low bushfire fuel levels and sufficiently distant from continuous bushland or forest. Inner suburbs of the Adelaide metropolitan area have been listed as Safer Settlements.

You should be aware of the following when including a Safer Settlement in your Bushfire Survival

Plan:

Identify where your nearest Safer Settlement is and if there are any suitable alternatives You will need to write your choice of Safer Settlement into your Bushfire Survival Plan Work out how you will get there and if there are any alternative routes to take
Work out how long it will take you to get there
Decide under what circumstances you will relocate and what your trigger points for action will be
Plan for your relocation; when, where and what you will take etc.

Bushfire Safer Precinct

A Bushfire Safer Precinct is also considered to be a place of first resort for people who have decided that they will leave early on a bad fire day.
A Bushfire Safer precinct is defined as any area that is further than 500 metres from continuous bushland or forest, or more than 200 metres from continuous grass land.
The CFS recommends that if you intend to relocate to a Bushfire Safer Precinct, then you should do so early in the day as last minute decisions to relocate in the face of fire are highly dangerous.
A Bushfire Safer Precinct is relatively safe from fire because is located in an area of generally low levels of bushfire fuel. Larger rural townships, provided they meet established criteria, can be classified as Bushfire Safer Precincts. However, properties on the outskirts of such townships may face a higher level of risk when compared with those nearer the centre of town.

You should be aware of the following when including a Bushfire Safer Precinct in your Bushfire

Survival Plan:

Identify where your nearest Bushfire Safer Precinct is and if there are any suitable alternatives
Work out how you will get there and if there are any alternative routes to take
Work out how long it will take you to get there
Decide under what circumstances you will relocate and what your trigger points for action will be
Plan for your relocation; when, where and what you will take etc.

Refuge of Last Resort

A Refuge of Last Resort is a space or building which could be used as a place of last resort for individuals to access and remain in during the passage of fire through their neighbourhood.
A Refuge of Last Resort is intended to provide a place of relative safety during a bushfire, but does not guarantee the survival of those who assemble there, and should only be accessed when a personal Bushfire Survival Plan cannot be implemented or have failed.
It is important that Refuges of Last Resort are not confused with Safer Settlements or Bushfire Safer Precincts. A Refuge of Last Resort should not be taken as a substitute for adequate preparation of a home and appropriate bushfire hazard management on your property.
The identification of Refuges of Last Resort has started and it is planned that a list of suitable places will be available in time for the 2010-2011 fire danger season. The highest priority will be high bushfire risk areas where there is no ready access to Safer Settlements of Bushfire Safer Precincts.

CFS has published a listing of all suburbs and townships that have been identified as either SAFER SETTLEMENTS or BUSFIRE SAFER PRECINCTS. These lists are available from the CFS website www.cfs.sa.gov.au and will be updated as the status of other places is verified.

It is important to remember that all members of the community must take responsibility for their own safety during bushfire. Regardless of whether you live in a Safer Settlement, a Bushfire Safer Precinct or not, this listing of places should not be taken as a substitute for preparation of your home or the undertaking of appropriate bushfire hazard management on your property.