Bush Fire

What happens after the fire

More than anything you will need information. Radio and TV stations are likely to tell you where you can go and what you need to do in the immediate future.

• Listen to local radio stations
• Listen to the ABC

Much work has been done in recent years to ensure that recovery after fire is facilitated and meets the immediate needs of the affected community.

Attending community meetings

What follows is an example of what you are likely to hear from different agencies when you attend a community meeting after the fire:

CFA: The CFA representative will:

• Thank the community for support given to fire fighters;
• Explain what the weather was like - wind/cool changes;
• Voice concerns - injuries, managing health of survivors, hydration;
• Show maps of where the fires are, graded earth lines, burning of fuel for further control, identify hot spots to prevent the fire reigniting;
• Outline plans for on-going action; water helicopter traffic;
• Explain traffic management: open and closed roads, access to homes, discouragement of sightseers.

DHHS: The DHHS representative will:

• Acknowledge and commend the ethos of community care that exists;

• Focus on the DHHS face sheets available on site and on their website which cover health, wellbeing and looking after each other;

• Give information on how to ascertain/handle suspected or contaminated water;

• emphasise the need to disconnect the water tank from the roof asap and wash ash and other debris off the roof before reconnecting to the water tank;

• Advise you to talk to your Council;

• Talk about the process of cooperation by all services involved in the emergency.

Council representative: The representative will:

• Ask you to contact them during office hours over the coming days if you have any questions.
• (Most Councils have at least one member of staff who is responsible for emergencies.)
• Point you to information you may need about fencing, accessible roads, water replacement if your dam water has been used to fight the fire;
• Thank volunteers.

Animal Welfare A representative from the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions (covers Agriculture Victoria and collaborates with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning {DELWP}) or a representative from DELWP will cover care of stock and pets.

See also the section Pets and Wildlife below.

Help from the Australian Red Cross

To use a term used by the Australian Red Cross, bush fires are categorised as a Collective Trauma Event (CTE).

"A CTE is an event, irrespective of the hazard, which results in a blow to the basic tissues of social life that damages the bonds between people and impairs the prevailing sense of community. Such events may impact things we previously took for granted about public locations, routines and values."

Returning Home:

You have experienced a bush fire and have been given the all clear to return home. This information "Returning home after bush fire" from Australian Red Cross, leads you through what you can expect when you leave the evacuation center or other places of safety to inspect the damage caused by the bush fire. It covers:

• The physical environment

• Returning home

• Ensure food and water are safe

• Inspecting your home

• Emotional considerations

• Identify feeling and thoughts

• Manage your feelings

• Moving beyond hopes and fears

• Making sense of what has happened

The Police and Red Cross run a register during an emergency which helps to find and reunite family and friends after an emergency. This site is only active during an emergency.

The Australian Red Cross also covers cleaning up after a disaster. This also refers to cleaning up after flood but many of the points covered are useful in many different circumstances.

Help from Government Departments

The Government of Western Australia Department of Fire and Emergency Services have more information on their "After a bush fire" site.

The Victorian Government Department of Water, Environment, Land and Planning has advice on rebuilding.

Vic Emergency offers pointers for relief and recovery after bush fire:

• Council information

• Returning home after a fire

• Bush fires and water tanks

• Farm recovery

• Power outages

• Insurance (also go Survive and Thrive First 48 hours here for information)

• Your health (also go to Survive and Thrive Recovery Stages to understand health issues associated with trauma)

• Your family and friends (also go to Survive and Thrive Help Pages)

• Emotional assistance

• Financial assistance (also go to Survive and Thrive Financial Assistance)

• Legal advice

There will be a number of organisations and communities which are working hard to assist during this period. The evacuation centers may have this information on hand when you need it access it.

The Queensland Government have these fact sheets which may be of interest to you.

Returning home after the fire

Houses, sheds and other buildings or structures burnt in a bushfire can leave potential health hazards. These may include fallen or sharp objects, smouldering coals, damaged electrical wires, leaking gas and weakened walls.

When returning to your property, make sure you are aware of the dangers and take steps to protect your health and safety.

If your home has been damaged by the fire or smells of smoke from bushfires, here’s some info for cleaning up a smoke-affected home. Ash from timber treated with a preservative call Copper chrome arsenate (CCA) is dangerous. Freshly treated CCA timber may pose a health hazard after a fire. Check out what to do here.

Red Cross provides safety information about returning home after a bushfire. Remember if you have a vehicle, fill it with fuel if possible; take water and some food with you.

Farm recovery after bush fire

Agriculture Victoria has advice which will help point you in the right direction. Go here for information on Pasture recovery after fire Water and water tank safety.

Pets, Livestock & Wildlife

Pets

This link takes you to an internal page which talks about looking after pets.

Livestock

• Agriculture Victoria has advice on how to care for livestock after a bush fire.
• Stock containment areas after fire.
• This article is about horses after an emergency.
• Assessing cattle after a bush fire
• Assessing sheep after a bush fire

Wildlife

This link takes you a site which talks about looking after wild animals after fire. As you have survived a bushfire, it is likely you will be confronted with animals which have suffered in the fire. This advice comes from WIRES Wildlife rescue. It may help

1. To keep a cardboard box and towel in the boot of your car in case you find an injured animal that you can safely contain without putting yourself in any danger.
2. If you rescue an animal that has been burnt, do not attempt to feed it, please wrap it loosely, ideally in 100% cotton fabric, place it in a ventilated box with a lid and keep it in a dark, quiet place whilst waiting for a rescuer or for transport to the nearest vet.
3. If you can safely take injured animals to your nearest vet please do so, as injured animals will require urgent vet assessment. If you can please also call WIRES to let us know which vet you’ve taken the animal to so we can follow up with vet to bring the animals into care when they are ready.
4. Do not approach injured snakes, flying-foxes, large macropods, raptors or monitors as these must be rescued by trained specialists, for these species please call WIRES first for rescue assistance on 1300 094 737.
5. Another website to help: Caring for Animals after Emergencies

READY TO REBUILD AFTER BUSH FIRE

Next stage of recovery: re-building lives and home

The time will come when you are faced with the decision of whether to move, renovate, repair or rebuild after a bush fire. At this point help to move forward is available within these web pages. Bear in mind that the Survive and Thrive web site is written for survivors of urban house fires but much of the information for your recovery forward will be appropriate for you as well.

Your circumstances are unique. Nonetheless, the processes within these pages apply to anyone having to face either a safe to return to the home or, because the damage is too extensive, an edict that they cannot return home

In addition there are web pages which covera number of information items in the help pages, injury and death.

These links will take you step-by-step through the next stages of your recovery until you are at the point to when you are again thriving.