Sadly, bushfires are killers, taking the lives of people, livestock, pets and wildlife.

Every business faces different circumstances. Business planning will depend on how and where you operate and the goods and services offered.

Things to consider when putting together a business bushfire plan

Business critical considerations:

• Can you change how, when and where you operate to reduce the risk of bushfire on your business?
• Are you confident that you could keep your staff and customers safe during a bushfire?
• Would your business still be able to operate after major and ongoing impacts such as road closures, loss of power or damage to infrastructure?

Assess your level of bushfire danger

The level of immediate danger to your business from bushfire depends on the proximity to bushfire fuel sources such as scrub, paddocks, forest and grassland.

As a general rule of thumb, the more fuel there is to burn, the hotter and bigger the fire will burn.

Weather and topography are also major factors: the hotter, drier and windier the weather is, the faster and hotter a fire will burn through the landscape.

Know the Fire Ban Districts that you operate in, and the Fire Danger rating for each, for every day of the Fire Danger Season. Use the daily Fire Danger Rating to determine your minimum actions.

The Pinery Fire north of Adelaide in 2015 travelled more than 40km in just four hours before burning an estimated 82,500 hectares in just nine hours and killing two people.

Smoke and ember dangers

Did you know that embers can travel many kilometres and are the major cause of buildings burning down during a bushfire?

Smoke can also cause low visibility, respiratory problems and can linger for days after a major bushfire.

Ongoing smoke exposure during the Black Summer fires in 2019-20 resulted in more than 2,000 people presenting to hospital with respiratory issues. It was also linked to 417 deaths.

See Safe Work Australia’s Bushfire smoke impacts in the workplace page

What should a business bushfire plan include?

A bushfire plan for a business should address actions and strategies to be implemented before a bushfire, during a fire and after a fire.

Preparations that can be made ahead of fire danger season include reducing fuel loads on your work site by cutting long grass, checking equipment such as fire extinguishers and sprinkler systems and making sure insurances are adequate and up to date.

Having a bushfire plan in place will provide workplaces with a step-by-step strategy to follow during a bushfire emergency. Having this on hand during this high-stress time will help ensure critical actions are not missed and everyone stays safe.

Contingency plans for after a fire such as business adaptation and staff health checks are also important.

The CFS publishes a detailed Bushfire Safety Guide for Business, which is a crucial resource for businesses and provides more detail about what to consider when creating a plan.

General planning should identify the following:

• Clear roles and responsibilities and a chain of command to follow during an emergency
• Triggers for action to assist decision making during times of high stress and uncertainty
• Contingency planning such as relocating staff to a Bushfire Safer Place
• Communications planning to consider how important information is delivered to employees, customers, contractors and visitors
• Minimum expectations on practising, reviewing and updating emergency procedures.

Further links:

• Bushfire Safety Guide for Business
• Bushfire smoke impacts in the workplace
• Air pollution and bushfire smoke