Bushfire Preparedness
Prepare your tourism business for bushfire
Be prepared. Know your plan. Protect your people.
This region has many beautiful places to visit, but parts of our region are also exposed to bushfire and grassfire risk. Every tourism business has a role to play in keeping staff, visitors and the community safe.
Being prepared is not just about having a plan on paper. Your team needs to understand the risks, know what to do on high-risk days and be confident about when to change your operations, communicate with visitors and leave.
The Country Fire Authority (CFA) has developed specific resources for tourism businesses to help you understand your local risk and prepare a practical bushfire plan.
Start with your tourism business bushfire plan
CFA's Bushfire Planning for Tourism Businesses module takes around 30 minutes and helps you:
- Understand the bushfire risks relevant to your business
- Develop a tailored bushfire plan
- Identify roles and responsibilities for your team
- Plan how you will communicate with visitors
- Prepare your property and business for the fire season
- Understand where to find reliable emergency information
The module also includes a bushfire planning template to help you put your plan into practice. CFA recommends that businesses share their plan with staff and practise their response before the fire season.
Complete the free CFA Bushfire Planning for Tourism Businesses module >
What should your plan cover?
Every tourism business is different, so your plan should reflect your location, business activities and the visitors you host.
Consider:
Your people
Who is responsible for monitoring conditions? Who communicates with visitors? Who makes decisions about closing, cancelling activities or leaving?
Your visitors
How will you communicate fire risk, restrictions and emergency information to visitors, including people who may be unfamiliar with the region?
Your location
Understand your property's access and egress, surrounding vegetation, road network, mobile phone coverage and potential evacuation considerations.
Your operations
Consider how your response changes depending on the Fire Danger Rating and whether you operate accommodation, tours, outdoor activities, events, food and beverage or other visitor experiences.
Your communication
Have a clear process for communicating with visitors who are currently on site, due to arrive or participating in an activity elsewhere.
Your property
Reduce fire risk around your premises by keeping gutters clear, managing vegetation, removing dry grass and other combustible material, and ensuring emergency equipment is ready. CFA provides detailed property preparation guidance.
Know the Fire Danger Rating
The Fire Danger Rating tells you how dangerous a fire would be if one started. Use it to guide your operational decisions and visitor communications.
CFA's four ratings are:
Moderate | Plan and prepare
Maintain your property, check equipment and ensure your plan is current.
High | Be ready to act
Make sure staff understand their roles, visitors know the fire risk and emergency equipment is ready.
Extreme | Take action now
Review your operations, communicate clearly with visitors and ensure your team is prepared to respond.
Catastrophic | Leave bushfire risk areas
If you are operating in a high-risk area, leaving early is the safest option. Your business plan should clearly set out when you will close and leave.
Don't wait until you can see a fire or smell smoke to make decisions.
Keep your visitors informed
Visitors may not understand the fire risk in our region or know where to find reliable information.
Tourism businesses are often an important source of local information, so make sure your team can confidently direct visitors to official sources.
Consider:
- Displaying the current Fire Danger Rating during the fire season
- Encouraging visitors to download the VicEmergency app
- Providing clear information about fire risk and restrictions
- Knowing your local fire weather district
- Having a process for contacting guests if conditions change
- Providing information in languages relevant to your visitors where appropriate
CFA specifically recommends that tourism businesses display Fire Danger Rating and fire safety information and talk to visitors about what the rating means.
Reliable emergency information
VicEmergency is Victoria's central source for emergency information and warnings. Use the website and app to monitor fires, warnings, road closures and other emergencies.
Download the VicEmergency app
Create a Watch Zone for your business, accommodation property or operating area so you can receive relevant notifications. The app provides emergency warnings and a real-time map of incidents across Victoria.
Download the VicEmergency app and set up a Watch Zone >
CFA
Check Fire Danger Ratings, Total Fire Bans, fire preparation advice and bushfire safety resources.
CFA: Fire Danger Ratings and restrictions >
ABC Local Radio
ABC Local Radio is an important emergency broadcaster and can provide information during emergencies.
Road conditions
Check current road conditions and closures before staff or visitors travel.
Prepare your team
Your bushfire plan is only useful if your team understands it.
Before the fire season:
- Share your business bushfire plan with all staff
- Allocate clear roles and responsibilities
- Make sure staff know where to find emergency information
- Encourage staff to download the VicEmergency app
- Check emergency equipment and communications
- Run a practice drill or walk through your response
- Make sure new or seasonal staff receive an appropriate briefing
CFA also provides a Bushfire Safety for Workers online learning module for people working in high bushfire risk areas.
Explore CFA bushfire training for workers >
Your responsibility doesn't stop at your front door
If your business takes visitors into forests, parks, trails, rural areas or other bushfire-prone environments, you need to consider the risks associated with the experience.
This includes tourism businesses offering:
- Walking and hiking
- Cycling and mountain biking
- Tours and transfers
- Outdoor recreation
- Nature-based experiences
- Events and festivals
- Accommodation in bushfire-prone areas
CFA advises that tourism businesses need a fire plan even when they don't operate from a fixed location, such as businesses running tours, hikes or experiences in the bush.
Make bushfire preparedness part of your business planning
Bushfire preparedness should be reviewed regularly, not just at the start of summer.
Review your plan when:
- Your business changes or expands
- You introduce a new outdoor activity or experience
- Access roads or operating locations change
- You employ new staff
- You add new accommodation or facilities
- You identify a new risk
- There has been a significant fire or emergency in your area
Key resources
CFA: Preparing your tourism business >
Visit Victoria: Bushfire safety information >
Business Victoria: Crisis management resources >
A final reminder
Preparedness is everyone's responsibility.
Your staff and visitors will look to you for information and reassurance during periods of elevated fire risk. Having a clear plan, staying informed and knowing when to act can help protect your people, your business and our community.
Do not rely on Tourism East or any individual source for emergency information. Always check official emergency warnings and follow the directions of emergency services. In an emergency, call Triple Zero (000).