By RFS volunteer Iris Huizinga

Helensburgh Volunteer Rural Fire Brigade will host a Get Ready Weekend event on Saturday, September 20. Learn how to create a Bush Fire Survival Plan – plus, receive FREE gardening gloves and access essential resources.

Get Ready shines a light on the need to prepare for summer. Last month three out of five 2508 locals we asked hadn’t yet made a fire plan for 2025.

Cady and Corben (pictured above) have lived in Helensburgh for two years and were considering a plan after their neighbour mentioned past fires:
“I have heard that once we had a fire come through here and I wasn’t aware of that,” Cady said.

Eibhlin Charmer didn’t have a plan, but knew she’d leave early. “If there was a potential fire then I think it would just be, ‘get out’,” she said.

Long-time local Julie York had a fire plan last year. “It is a good time to actually revisit it,” she said.

Harry Herbert’s family have made their fire plan, with crates set to transport pets. “When would we go?” Harry said. “As soon as we get told we got to go. Or if there’s a fire around, then we’ll bail.”

Alison Loudon was visiting her partner in Helensburgh on Christmas Day in 2001, when a big bushfire prompted mass evacuations. For her, having a fire plan is a case of “lesson learned” as Alison remembers the rush to drive out of town, when the road north was blocked and police were directing people south to Wollongong Entertainment Centre. “It was all quite chaotic.”

Visit myfireplan.com.au and/or attend your local RFS Get Ready Day. Helensburgh’s event is on September 20, 10am-2pm, 185a Parkes St.