Family’s fire scare prompts emergency preparedness overhaul

Emma Foster thought she knew what to do in an emergency – after all, she works in emergency management. But when a bushfire crept within 10 kilometres of her home, the scramble to evacuate with her two young daughters revealed a confronting truth: her family wasn’t ready. No go-bags, no plan, and no conversations with the kids about what to expect. That night changed everything.

When Emma Foster and her young family hurriedly packed their bags in an emergency evacuation earlier this year, it was far from smooth sailing.

With a fire burning about 10 kilometres from their home on Ballarat’s outskirts and VicEmergency notifications coming through regularly, Emma made the choice to leave the family home behind and head for safety.

With two young daughters, Adaline aged 7 and Ella aged 3 at the time ready for bed and confused at the situation at hand, it was a scramble to get everything together and on their way.

Pictured above: The family, along with their dog Lady, is now much better prepared in case of emergency.

After about half an hour Emma and the two girls were out the door and driving to Ballarat to stay at Emma’s parents, while partner Joel stayed behind for a while longer to do anything possible to protect the property before also joining them.

Although the fire was contained in nearby Dereel and their home never came under immediate threat, Emma learned one powerful lesson – her family was very much ill-prepared.

There had been no emergency bags at the ready, no conversations had with the children about what an emergency is, no written plans about what to do in critical times.

They simply weren’t ready for an emergency.

Emma, who works in the City of Ballarat’s Emergency Management team, says although there were no grave consequences from the incident, it opened her eyes to something she simply had to fix.

“We hadn't talked about the possibility of evacuating before, so I would say it definitely came a bit out of the blue for the girls,” Emma said.

“Working in emergency management, I sort of had in my head what we needed to do and what my plans were, but it wasn't something that we had discussed or written down prior to us needing to implement that."

“It highlighted that if the fire had been closer and if things had been more urgent, we wouldn't have been as prepared as I would have liked.”

As Adaline says, emergency evacuations had not been a topic for conversation at home.

“We hadn’t really talked about it very much,” she said.

“I started trying to pack but I didn’t even know what to pack and I don’t think I was ready back then.”

Now, coming into this fire season, it is a very different story at the rural family property. There are pre-packed emergency bags constantly at the ready, checklists on hand, and food and water ready to go.  

Pictured above: Practice makes perfect for Emma and Adaline.

Just as importantly, conversations have now been had with their children to ensure they are as comfortable as possible when such situations do arise.

“Just having the conversations, giving them the opportunity to ask questions, I think has made a difference in how prepared everyone feels for this fire season,” Emma says.

“With Ella being so young, it was great to be able to use the story books from Birdie's Tree to get her involved in our planning conversations, and get her ready without scaring her.

“There's definitely always more people can do and working through a program like The First 72 Hours where you have the chance to write down these important things and make sure that everything is in one safe place will take such a load off your mind if you are ever in the situation where you need to enact these plans.

The First 72 Hours program helps residents prepare to stay safe, connected and self-sufficient in the critical three days following an emergency or natural disaster.  

During this period, emergency services may be stretched, so having a plan and supplies ready can make a big difference.  

The program guides households to create an emergency kit with essentials like food, water, medication, and important documents, and to develop a family communication and evacuation plan.  

It also encourages neighbours to check in on each other and stay informed through reliable local updates.  

By taking simple steps now, residents can build confidence and resilience, ensuring our community is ready to respond and recover together when disaster strikes.

The City of Ballarat held a series of free 72 Hours Workshops throughout October and November this year and is planning more into the future.

Visit the First 72 Hours – Your emergency plan to learn more about how you can be best prepared in case of emergency.

Pictured above: Some of the key items that are prepared to go in Emma’s First 72 Hours bags

• Headphones
• Important documents (identity, insurance, etc.)
• Cash
• First aid kit
• Work gloves
• Pet needs (lead, harness, spare collar, paperwork, food)
• Radio
• Torches
• Toiletry bag (sunscreen, toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap)
• Water and food  
• Kids comfort items (toys, books, activities)
• Clothing for 72 hours
• List of things to grab (laptops and laptop chargers, phones and phone chargers, power banks)
• Medication for 72 hours (or include this on list if it can’t be packed)
• Spare batteries