The strange weather we have been having and forecast dry conditions have prompted the ACT Emergency Services to declare the start of bushfire season a month early this year. The Bureau of Meteorology has advised a predicted El Niño event may produce hotter and drier conditions as we head into summer and unless the future outlook starts to suggest a different situation, predicted elevated risks to the ACT from heatwave, wildfire and dust storms are likely.
All Canberrans living in fire prone areas should have a Bushfire Survival Plan and unless your horse lives in the suburbs with you they will need one too. Now is the time to dust off your bushfire plan and organise your arrangements in case the worst happens this summer. Planning to do something when the fire is on its way is not a plan. There is plenty of information about bushfire preparedness under the NEWS tab on the ACTEA website at http://www.actea.asn.au/will-your-horse-stay-or-go/. Save a link to http://esa.act.gov.au/community-information/bushfires/fires-near-me/ on your smart phone. And become a weather watcher.
In the next couple of weeks ACTEA will have its annual meeting with EPIC and Emergency Services about emergency messaging for horse owners and evacuation arrangements over summer. Arrangements will be shared on the ACTEA website.
