GET READY 2021 - FOR TEENS
Team Teens: Work out how at risk you really are
FIRST STEP: APPS YOU SHOULD DOWNLOAD
First it will really help if you have these few apps on your phone or your tablet or your home computer. They are all free and very valuable.
· Fires Near Me: get the NSW RFS one – that’s the one with the RFS logo in the centre. This is also a website (click here)
· The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) one which will give you lots of information about wind direction and changing weather patterns.
· The Emergency App. This one will help you work out your location and lots of other cool stuff.
· If you’re very keen also get Live Traffic to help your family work out a way to get away that might not be blocked.
TOTAL FIRE BANS AND FIRE DANGER RATINGS
Watch the videos below to learn about Total Fire Bans and Fire Danger Ratings. Even if you already know this information, it’s always good to have a refresh!
ALERT LEVELS
If there is a fire near you, the RFS will send out an alert level to let people know about the fire. CLICK HERE to learn all about the three alert levels.
NOW LET’S Try this Quick Quiz:
NOW FOR SOME ACTIVITIES TO GET FAMILIAR WITH THOSE APPS
1. Set up a watch zone on Fires Near Me. This means an alarm will sound if fire is within 25km or whatever distance you feel comfortable with. Where did you find the watch zone? Can you teach someone else in your family how to set up a watch zone?
2. Keeping track of the Fire Danger Rating for each day is also a very good way of understanding the fire threat that day. Where is the Fire Danger Rating for tomorrow located on the BOM app? It only takes a single match to start a big fire on a higher Fire Danger day.
HOW BUSH FIRE PRONE IS YOUR PROPERTY?
It’s a good idea to know how prone to fire the area where you live is. You can find out by checking out this website (CLICK HERE)
HOLIDAY CHALLENGES
Try some of these Challenges over the holidays:
Challenge 1: How dangerous is that fire you can smell?
Check out the Fires Near Me app on your phone or computer.
How far away is the nearest fire? __________________________
Now check out the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) app on your phone or computer.
Which way is the wind blowing today? ___________________
Is it blowing the fire towards you or away from you? ____________________
If it’s blowing away from you right now is the wind direction going to change in the next day or so? ______________________________________
Is there any rain around that might slow that fire down? _______________
Challenge 2: Check out how many ways the Emergency app gives you for your location.
Which of these could you use in an emergency? _________________
What does the three-word location mean? ___________________
How accurate is it? _____________________________
What other cool things does the app offer?
Challenge 3: Let’s say you see a plume of smoke in the distance during the fire season and want to report it.
Who will you call? ___________
How will you describe where it is? Hint: Use the emergency app on your phone for your location.
Do you have a compass at home or on your phone? You can now take a bearing by pointing the north to where north is on the compass and seeing what the angle is to the smoke plume.
Now you can tell the emergency service where you are and the bearing to the smoke plume.
Try to practice estimating the distance to things when you are out and about. See what others think and how close you are. Hint: If the fire is not so very far away, if you play football estimate how far away in numbers of football fields. If you lap at the pool, work out how many pool lengths you think it is away. If you play cricket, estimate the number of cricket pitches.
Challenge 4: On a busy weekend for heavy traffic, work out the best way to travel from your place (hint use the app Live Traffic). Pretend you need to leave early because of the fires and you are checking which way would be the best way to travel based on the traffic:
To the North
To the South West
To the East
Challenge 5: What is your local Brigade Facebook page? Check out the most recent thing that they posted.
Answer: https://www.facebook.com/burrawangruralfirebrigade
Are you friends with them? What are they saying that could help you stay up to date? Try re-posting something interesting from them to your own Facebook page.
Challenge 6: Receiving a warning on your phone during an emergency
During a fire, you may receive warnings over your landline or mobile telephone. These use a system called Emergency Alert. Find out more about these warnings: http://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-prepare/alert-levels/telephone-warnings
The warning message will provide information on the current emergency, what action to take and where to find further information.
We want you to think hard about what you might do if you are home alone and you received one of these Emergency Alerts or there was a fire near you that you were worried about.
Who would you ring?
Where would you go?
What would be your role in the event your whole family has to leave in a hurry? Might you be looking after your brothers or sisters?
Is there anything else you could do to help? Grab the laptops or hard drives for example?
Challenge 7. Packing to go. Go online and see if you can find what type of clothing would be best to wear if you think you might get caught in a fire or if you are going to leave and the conditions are risky. Have you got the kind of clothing that you might need?
At the beginning of the fire season put all the clothing you might need in a special bag or container so you will have them to hand in an emergency.
Don’t forget to include phone and device charges including portable battery packs
McAuley Cadets