BUSHFIRE : Is your Business bush fire ready?
Thu 19 Dec 2019
If a bushfire starts near your business, you and your employees may be under pressure to ensure the safety of yourselves and others.
A written plan may save lives by helping you to stay focused and respond in the best possible way when under pressure. Preparation may also help to minimise the loss of profits and get a business back up and running more quickly after the threat of fire has passed.
- Click here for more information on Preparing your Business for bushfire (VIC Government)
- Click here for updates on the Shoalhaven City Council website
- Click here for updates on Bushfire Recovery Shoalhaven
COUNTRY FIRE ASSOCIATION (CFA)How will a written bushfire planhelp your business? (Information courtesy of CFA Victoria).
A written plan can:
- Save lives by helping you to stay focusedand respond in the best possible waywhen you’re under pressure.
- Help to protect your investments and getyour business back up and running morequickly after the threat of fire has passed.
- Minimise the loss of profits.
- Ensure your employees’ needs areaccounted for in your planning.
- Reduce the anxiety that people mayfeel on high-risk bushfire days.
- Remind you what you need to do every yearto prepare your property, your employeesand your business for the fire season.
- Click here to download the CFA bushfire plan for your business. (PDF 133.86kb)
- Click here to download the CFA bushfire plan for your business (Word 982kb)
FARM FIRE SAFETY
The majority of properties devastated by fire never fully recover. With the potential for millions of dollars worth of loss and damage, you can’t afford not to have a plan. The NSW RFS have worked with farmers to create the Farm Fire Plan to help manage fire risks on your land.
Getting ready for a bush fire is easier than you think. Just 5 minutes discussing what you'll do in a fire could save you, your family and your livelihood.
- Click here for more information on NSW RFS Farm fire safety
- Click here for the NSW RFS Farm Fire Safety Guide
AON AUSTRALIA
Impact on your business
Bushfires can cause damage to your property and contents, or destroy them completely. If your business is nearby to a spreading fire, you may need to leave the premises and seek shelter elsewhere, which can cause interruption to your business. When your business stops running, this often results in lost revenue to the business or a loss of customers to competitors.
During severe weather, staff may have difficulty returning to work (whether it is to attend to their own properties or families, or through limited access to transport), pre-arranged offsite centres may face excess demand, and tradespeople will likely be at a premium. Even with agreed fixed prices and service level agreements, in a time of disaster, essential services become hot property, and so access to them can become a challenge. Claims may also take longer than anticipated to be paid, thanks to pressure and demand on the insurers.
What organisations should do to prepare
It’s important to come up with a plan to ensure your business can survive a bushfire. You should find out if you are in a bushfire prone area, make sure you protect yourself and your employees, and put measures in place to protect your assets, including insurance, assets valuations and business continuity plans.
. Information courtesy of AON Australia.
