It has been a cold and wet winter, yet last weekend’s milder break provided a clear picture of what threatens us all.
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The recent rains certainly have not provided any sort of insurance policy against the risks posed in the upcoming bushfire period.
If anything, it will add to what has now been predicted as an “above normal” fire season.
After all, the grass will grow rapidly then the heat will dry everything out.
The Southern Australia Seasonal Bushfire Outlook backs that up with a combination to put any experienced firefighter on a heightened alert.
The outlook is for dry times ahead as a warm spring takes hold. The only possibility from that is an early start to the fire season.
Country Fire Authority District 23 operations officer Ashley Mills summed up the reality in a way that should get everybody planning their readiness for the beckoning fire threat.
“We sort of knew that we were looking down the barrel of a heavier than normal season,” was his interpretation of the outlook on Wednesday.
It is heartening to hear him say the CFA has better equipment than last year, while across the border NSW volunteers have been preparing by maintaining firefighting equipment and undergoing training.
On top of that, the New South Wales Rural Fire Service has launched the state's first large air tanker, dubbed “Thor”.
All of this should engender confidence in the community that fire authorities are doing all they can to be ready for any early challenges, such as what hit last year with the Blue Mountains blazes.
But there is only so much they can do, with householders needing to make a start as soon as possible to their own plans.
People should be planning for fire right now so they know what to do if a bushfire threatens.
They especially need to know when is the right time to move their families to a safe haven well away from the fire front.
In this respect, the warnings from fire authorities to be well-prepared are no different to that of any other year.
But that does not negate the importance of continually reinforcing the message.
The cost of not doing so can be deadly, as has been so apparent in recent years.
