Prepare for an emergency

Landowners and occupiers are responsible for fire prevention on their properties, and there are steps you can take now to prepare your home for the summer fire season each year and give it the best chance of surviving a bushfire.

Fire prevention inspections are conducted across the Shire by the Municipal Fire Prevention Officers every year throughout October and November. If you have received a fire prevention notice, your property has been identified as a fire hazard and you will be required to clean up your property by the completion date on the notice.

• View or download FAQ's about fire prevention notices(PDF, 106KB)

You can also get support to prepare from your local CFA branch. This can include preparing your bushfire plan using the Bushfire Survival Planning Template. It's essential for everyone to have their own plan that meets their individual needs and takes into account the geography of where you live and the level of risk to your home and life.  

To book community fire safety information sessions for community groups, Health Care and Home Care, contact the CFA District Community Engagement Coordinator on 02 6043 4400

You can do things now to prepare your property for bushfires, including: 

• Removal of fire hazards and potential fire hazards from properties
• Cleaning out gutters, mowing the lawn and management or removing vegetation
• Reducing the number of flammable items within a 30m radius of your house
• Regular testing and maintenance of extinguishers and hose reels
• Maintenance of clear exits
• Practicing emergency evacuation procedures from your Bushfire Survival Plan 

Inspections of properties across the Shire are conducted each year and landowners with fire hazards will receive a clean up notice. Owners failing to comply may be fined. We may also remove the hazard and charge the owner for the completed works.

Anyone wishing to conduct a private burn in an urban area will need to apply for a Permit to Burn. For more details on fire restrictions during the Fire Danger Period, please visit cfa.vic.gov.au.  

All permits issued by Municipal Fire Prevention Officers are suspended for the duration of any Total Fire Ban Day. Also strict guidelines may apply during the Fire Danger Period.

You will find more detailed information on fire prevention in CFA’s Your Guide to Property Preparation.

Before a bushfire or grassfire:

• Attend a CFA Fire Ready meeting or Bushfire Planning workshop
• Understand your fire risk: bushfire, grassfire, hilly, in town?
• Write a Bushfire Survival Plan
• Decide if and who will stay and actively defend or leave early. Plan for those most at risk: children, frail elderly, those with special needs
• Prepare your property and have an emergency kit ready.

During:

• Check warnings and information
• Wear protective clothing
• Protect people from radiant heat
• Drink plenty of water.

After:

• Check information updates
• Keep wearing protective clothing
• Keep checking for embers after the fire front as passed
• Take care around trees, branches and trees can fall without warning.

You can find more information in CFA’s Fire Ready Kit or by phoning the VicEmergency Hotline on 1800 2226 226. 

Neighbourhood Safer Place/Bushfire Place of Last Resort (NSP) is not a community fire refuge or emergency relief centre. NSPs are places of last resort during the passage of a bushfire, and are intended to be used only when your primary bushfire survival plan has failed.

NSPs do not guarantee the survival of those who assemble there. There may also be serious risks to safety encountered in travelling to NSPs during a bushfire and there may be no services or facilities and some sites offer minimum protection from radiant heat and embers. 

Depending on the position and direction of a bushfire, a designated NSP may not be safer than other locations within the area.

We have designated several sites across the shire as NSPs, but not all our towns have one.

We encourage every resident to have a Bushfire Survival Plan and to practice it. If you live in a high-risk area, plan to leave the night before on days of code red fire danger. On days of severe or extreme fire danger, plan to leave early in the morning and plan ahead about where you can go.

Do not go to an NSP if you are leaving the area early during a bushfire emergency. More information on NSPs can be found on the CFA website. 

NSP locations:

• Beechworth: Memorial Hall, Ford Street
• Beechworth: Police Paddocks, High Street
• Yackandandah: Senior Citizens, Wellsford Street
• Yackandandah: Memorial Gardens, High Street
• Chiltern: Memorial Hall, Conness Street
• Tangambalanga: Community Centre, 29 Kiewa East Road
• Stanley: Recreation Reserve Pavilion, Pioneer Road
• Rutherglen: Showgrounds Reserve Open Space, High Street
• Barnawartha: Recreation Reserve Pavilion, Havelock Street
• Sandy Creek: Recreation Reserve Pavilion, Lockharts Gap Road

 See VicEmergency's interactive NSPs map.

Fire plugs are essential for fighting fires. They sit on the water main and are accessed by the CFA in the event of a fire. The plugs are generally located on people's nature strips, with little blue cat's eyes on the road and marker poles to help point fire fighters to where the plugs are.

We conduct annual checks on fire plugs as it is essential they are obvious and accessible. Residents are not to obscure fire plugs or plant bushes, shrubs or trees that make the location of fire plugs difficult to find or access.

Why not have a look around and see where the fire plug that protects your property is located?

If you would like further information on fire plugs and their locations, or wish to lodge a maintenance report, please contact us.

Community Information Guides - Bushfire are a key source of information for the community and an important tool to emphasise the shared responsibility between the community, fire services and local government.

CFA have created guides for a number of communities statewide that are deemed to be at risk of bushfire or grassfire.

Your Community Information Guide provides important direction and information for communities to assist with planning before, during and after a fire.

A list of the guides for Indigo Shire locations can be found below.

Allans Flat

Beechworth

Chiltern

Stanley

Yackandandah

Know the Rules Before Burning Off

The Victoria State Emergency Service (VICSES) is the control agency for storms and floods in Victoria, which means that they are responsible for planning for storms and floods, and for managing the response if they do occur.

VICSES does this by assisting municipal councils and other agencies with the provision of advice, information, education and training in relation to emergency management, including the prevention of, response to, and recovery from emergencies.

This is guided by the North East Regional Flood Emergency Plan , Municipal Flood Emergency Plan(PDF, 5MB) and the Hume Region Storm Plan.

The StormSafe website has all the information you need including an emergency toolkit. 

It is important to know flood prone areas in your location.

If you are unaware, please contact us or visit your local SES branch.

• Listen to the radio and check the VicEmergency website or app for more information and advice.
• Go over your Emergency Plan.
• Pack clothing and other extra items into your Emergency Kit and take this with you if you evacuate.

• Make sure your family members and neighbours are aware of what is happening.
• Be ready to evacuate. Act early. Conditions change rapidly. Roads and escape routes can be covered or blocked. Don’t forget to take pets and medicine with you.
• Put household valuables and electrical items as high as possible.
• Turn off water, gas and electricity at the mains.
• Secure objects likely to float and cause damage. Raise chemicals and oils well above the forecast flood height.

For emergency assistance, call 132 500 for VICSES.

• Never drive, ride or walk through floodwater. This is the main cause of death during floods.
• Never allow children to play in floodwater. This is the main cause of death during floods for children and young people.
• Stay away from drains, culverts and waterways. Water can flow quickly and have strong currents.
• Stay well clear of fallen trees, power lines and damaged buildings.

• If your property has been flooded, check with us for information and advice. 
• Have all electrical and gas equipment professionally tested before use.

Road closures will be listed at vicroads.vic.gov.au

• Stay hydrated.
• Drink two to three litres of water each day, even if you don't feel thirsty. Avoid alcohol and caffeine.
• Dress light. Lighter clothing helps your body stay cool. Light-coloured clothing reflects heat and sunlight.
• Check on family, friends and neighbours especially those most at risk such as the elderly and young children.
• Stay out of the sun or take shelter. If you need to be out in the sun, wear a shirt, hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. Sunburn will affect your body's ability to cope with the heat.
• Draw your curtains, blinds and awnings at the start of the day to keep as much sun out of your home as possible.
• Seek air conditioning. If you don't have air conditioning at home, spend the day somewhere that does such as a library, cinema or shopping centre. If you do have an air conditioner at home, make sure it has been serviced. Fans will also help you stay cool.
• Make sure your pets have plenty of shade and enough cool water to last the entire day. Hose them down or put ice cubes in their bowl. Check on them regularly.
• Don't leave children or pets in parked vehicles.

Extreme heat and heatwaves claim more lives than any other natural hazard in Australia.

People and groups particularly vulnerable to the impacts of extreme heat include those living alone, have a disability, are housebound, frail, elderly, recovering from an illness or accident, and those with ongoing illnesses such as diabetes or a heart condition.

Red Cross’ HeatREDi Program provides daily calls to registered clients during extreme heat events. The service is designed to ensure vulnerable people are supported during a heatwave by providing them with daily wellbeing check-ins over the phone, as well as advice on coping with extreme heat.

There are a limited number of registrations still available for HeatREDi this summer. If you or anyone you know may benefit from receiving calls from the HeatREDi program, please register via this form.

• If you or those close to you are suffering heat stress, call for help immediately.
• Symptoms of heat stress include extremely heavy sweating, headache and vomiting, confusion, swollen tongue.
• All life-threatening situations should be reported by calling triple-0.

Cool Relief Centres are available in hot weather 

Beechworth Health Service and Indigo Shire Council have established Cool Relief Centres in Beechworth, Chiltern, Kiewa, Tangambalanga, Rutherglen and Yackandandah. Cool Relief Centres provide a refuge for people during extreme heat conditions.

Businesses and organisations with air conditioning and seating space are being asked to provide water for those seeking relief from the heat. If you are interested in becoming a Cool Relief Centre please contact us on 1300 365 005.

Cool Relief Centre stickers will be on display on the windows of participating businesses. The following centres have offered their premises, and more will join over summer:

Beechworth

• Beechworth and District Community Bank
• Beechworth Bakery
• Beechworth Neighbourhood Centre, Quercus Bookshop
• Beechworth Pantry
• Beechworth Pharmacy
• Beechworth Surgery
• Bendigo Bank
• Commercial Hotel Tanswell
• Hibernian Hotel
• Beechworth Library
• WAW Credit Union
• Visitor information centre

Chiltern

• Chiltern Butcher
• Chiltern Neighbourhood House - Transport is available for a gold coin donation, please call 0357 261 405 to arrange. 
• Chiltern Library
• Telegraph Hotel Chiltern
• The Iron Bark Tavern Chiltern
• Paper Trail Studio Chiltern
• Visitor information centre
• WAW Credit Union 

Rutherglen

• Star Hotel 
• Valentines Bakery 
• Rutherglen Mitre 10
• Rutherglen Lollyshop
• Paochers Paradise Pub
• Silver Keys Cafe
• Anglican Op Shop
• Rutherglen Butcher
• James and Co Wine Bar
• Star Hotel
• Victoria Hotel
• Rutherglen Library
• Rutherglen Wine Experience and visitor information centre 

• Pickers Cafe  

Yackandandah

• Yackandandah Community Centre
• Beechworth Bakery Yackandandah
• Rusty Bike Cafe
• Visitor Information Centre
• Yackandandah Library

Kiewa Tangambalanga

• Kiewa Store
• Tangambalanga General Store
• Tangambalanga Hotel

Heat can affect everyone so please:

• Look after yourself and keep in touch with others
• Drink plenty of water
• Keep cool (spend as much time as possible in cool or air conditioned buildings)
• Stay out of the sun

For more information about how to stay safe in the heat, visit the Victorian government's Better Health website.

• If you or those close to you are suffering heat stress, call for help immediately.
• Symptoms of heat stress include extremely heavy sweating, headache and vomiting, confusion, swollen tongue.
• All life-threatening situations should be reported by calling triple-0.

Better Health - Survive the heat

Heatwave Plan(PDF, 2MB)