Rural Fire Service issued a total fire ban for today across eleven NSW regions, including the Murrumbidgee region. It doesn't mean a fire is imminent, but it DOES mean that if a fire occurred, the warning are serious and need to be adhered to for your life and safety.

Winds of 50 to 70 kilometres an hour have been forecast for today, and as we all know, the winds in the region lately have all but blown Dorothy in from Kansas.

In addition, due to the elevated fire danger, the NSW Department of Eduction made the decision to close 25 schools in the affected areas as a safety measure, including Lake Wyangan Public School, Marrar Public School, Matong Public School, Naradhan Public School, Narrandera East Infants School, Narrandera High School, Ganmain Public School and more.

For full details visit https://education.nsw.gov.au/schooling/school-operational-status?fbclid=IwY2xjawOTHctleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETBEUEpXN1M0RXpHT0tpZ3B4c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHmlG9PdhvZPNI2HrFLitPqqeDJwhQx1vWmWm-4Htz5WT4zxcfsXpcimJj1wW_aem_XmBb5PC_q8wkRSnEZip_Kg

So, we all know there is danger, but do we know what exactly the categories mean and what to do?

Extreme means when a fire happens, the fire will spread quickly and become extremely dangerous, threatening both lives and property.

You need to take action to protect your life and property. If your property is not prepared, leave for a safer location well before the fire arrives, ideally earlier in the day. 

Catastrophic is the most dangerous fire condition. Fires that start are likely to be uncontrollable and lives will be lost.

In the case of a catastrophic category, for your survival, leave bush fire risk areas. It is best to leave early in the morning or the night before. Homes may not withstand fires, and help may not be available.

So, you might not have heard of schools closing due to bush fire risk before.

In 2022, the department reviewed the bushfire risk of its 2,200 public schools.

Every NSW public school has a risk rating, from Category 1 (most risk) to Category 4 (least risk).

These ratings reflect the risk profile of each school to bushfire and grassfire.

• They consider:
• landscape
• distance to vegetation
• bushfire behaviour
• impact of catastrophic bushfire behaviour
• evacuation options
• isolation from emergency services.

The department directs Category 1 and Category 2 schools to proactively close if the catastrophic fire danger ratings are issued for the following day, and if higher risk fire conditions are forecast.

At the end of the day, it is better to be safe rather than sorry, and then take the advisories and warnings seriously.