Develop a farm bushfire response and livestock emergency plan
Having a farm fire plan is one of the most important things you can do to be prepared for fire as a cattle or sheep producer. During the Black Summer bushfires, farms that had a plan were six times less likely to have burnt livestock than those without a plan.
A farm fire plan is more complex than a fire plan for a house in town. Farm fire plan templates are available from some state fire authorities. We have included the farm fire plan from the NSW RFS as part of an MLA/ RFS combined fire plan template at the back of this manual. Compare it to your state’s plan to ensure appropriateness (for example, fire danger ratings can vary across jurisdictions).
In addition to the RFS plan, the template provides information about livestock protection, insurance and other details specific to livestock producers.
Use the template to make your own plan. The plan will include the critical information, decisions and action needed if your farm is fire-affected.
It will also have sections for short- and long-term recovery after fire. Farms that have clear recovery plans with good preparation before fire are usually the farms with the most successful long-term recovery.
FIND YOUR FARM FIRE PLAN TEMPLATE HERE