During Emergencies

Follow your Plan

The Before page has lots of information about planning and preparation.

• Understand the warnings.
• Know where to go for information.
• Know what to do in a fire.
• Get Ready for a range of emergencies.
• Bushfire Factsheets.

Animals in Emergencies 

Animals are often ‘part of the family’ and we need to plan for them too in times of emergencies and natural disasters.

Your animals are your responsibility and the best way to ensure the safety of your pets, animals and stock in times of emergency is to have a well thought out plan and to be prepared. If possible, organise somewhere safe to take your animals and leave early.

There is excellent information on the Agriculture Victoria web pages to assist with planning and preparing for your animals.

Horses and livestock in emergencies.

Pets and emergencies.

The CFA also provides a lot of information about preparing your property, horses and livestock.

Wildlife in emergencies.

Surviving Extreme Heat   

Did you know heatwave can be lethal? More people die annually from heatwave than die in bushfires.

Heatwaves and extreme heat can affect anybody. Those most at risk are older people, young children and people with a medical condition.

The most important things to remember on a really hot day are:  

• Keep cool.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Stay out of the sun.
• Look after yourself and others.
• Never leave people or animals in cars on hot days.

Here are some useful links:

• Emergency Victoria: steps you can take to prepare yourself, your pets and your home for extreme heat.
• Better Health Channel: how to cope and stay safe in extreme heat.

It is particularly important to think about what you would do to stay cool during a power failure.

For 24 hour health advice contact Nurse-on-Call: 1300 60 60 24

For life threatening emergencies dial 000

Power Outages  

Power outages can happen at any time. They can be caused by severe weather, such as lightening, floods, heatwaves, bushfires or high winds, or by trees contacting powerlines. The best approach is to have a plan for how to cope during a power failure, particularly in very hot conditions.

Some simple tips include having access to:

• A torch or battery-operated light.
• A phone that does not rely on electricity (such as a fully-charged mobile phone).
• A battery powered radio for news and updates.
• Fresh water (if you rely on an electric pump for water).
• The faults and emergencies contact number for your electricity provider.
• A list of key contacts.
• Cash so you do not have to rely on an ATM to purchase goods.

The most important thing during a power outage is to stay safe:

• Keep clear of fallen powerlines and keep others away.
• Be careful with temporary generators.
• If there has been significant damage to your property, make sure a licensed electrician checks that it's safe to turn your power back on.

If you are currently experiencing an electricity outage visit the United Energy website  or contact their electrical faults and emergency team on 132 099.

Your Guide to power outages

Neighbourhood Safer Places - Places of Last Resort   

Neighbourhood Safer Places (NSPs) are places of last resort, to provide shelter during the passage of a fire, when all other plans have failed. They are not to be considered as places to relocate to when leaving early.

Safety and survival cannot be guaranteed at NSPs and there are no proposals to offer support or services. They will offer the minimum protection against radiant heat and embers.

Road hazards, prevailing conditions and driving to NSPs may pose a significant risk that must be considered in your planning.

The CFA web page has up-to date information on NSPs is available for Mansfield Shire and the whole state.

Neighbourhood Safer Places within Mansfield Shire

Neighbourhood Safer Places (NSP's) are places of last resort, to provide shelter during the passage of a fire, when all other plans have failed. They are not to be considered as places to relocate to when leaving early.

Safety and survival cannot be guaranteed at NSPs and there are no proposals to offer support or services. They will offer the minimum protection against radiant heat and embers.

Road hazards, prevailing conditions and driving to NSP's may pose a significant risk that must be considered in your planning.