Don’t wait to see flames before deciding to leave your home. People sometimes adopt a wait and see attitude and stay too long to see what will happen.

"Relying on "fire refuges" is not an option. Many municipalities, including South Gippsland Shire, no longer provide designated fire refuges," said the Mayor, Cr Heather Bligh. "Leaving a shelter such as a home to attempt to reach a fire refuge can place you at greater risk of injury or death. It is important that you have planned ahead to leave early, and have planned to go to a safe place."

"It is not possible for fire fighters to knock on every door to give warnings, as they will be fully occupied monitoring conditions and fighting the main fire. Instead, people who live in high fire danger areas are advised to plan and be self sufficient," she added.

Leaving your house at the last minute is fraught with dangers. Smoke will make visibility poor and it is easy to lose your way. It can be very difficult to work out which way the fire is going and you won’t know about spot fires that may have started.

Never attempt to flee as a fire approaches. If you haven’t prepared properly and find yourself in this circumstance, grab whatever you can such as mops and buckets to extinguish small fires. Shelter from radiant heat inside your home while the main fire front passes. Stay alert and when it is safe to leave, after the fire front passes, move to unburnt ground. Your unprepared house may have caught fire.

Returning to a house during a bushfire to rescue pets or retrieve valuables is also very dangerous. People are advised to only return to their properties when emergency services say it is safe.

It isn’t smart to avoid road blocks to return to your property during a fire. They are in place for a reason. You are putting yourself and those who will attempt to rescue you in unnecessary danger.

"If you are caught on the road, don’t get out and run. Pull to the side, preferably in an area clear of tall trees and long grass. Put your hazard lights on, close the windows, cover up exposed skin with a woollen blanket and get down as low as possible. Only when the fire has passed do you get out and move to safety.

To get ready for a bushfire, people in areas of high fire risk are advised to prepare a Bushfire Survival Plan. This is a well thought out plan about how you will prepare and respond to a fire in your area.

Part of this Bushfire Survival Plan is deciding if you are going to leave early on a high fire risk day, before a fire threatens and road travel becomes hazardous, or stay and actively defend your property.

Many people decide to stay with their home and there are many examples of people who have successfully defended their home during a bushfire. However defending a home takes many hours of physical work under fairly strenuous conditions. You need to be physically and emotionally able to cope.

Even if you decide to leave early you may be forced to stay if a fire threatens your home quickly. You need to know what to do if this happens.

During a bushfire stay alert. Listen to your local ABC radio. Keep in contact with your neighbours. And watch for smoke.

If you want to know more, or to find out how to prepare a bushfire survival plan, ring the Victorian Bushfire Information Line on 1800 240 667 or visit .