24/09/2026
Please take a few minutes to read this. It’s just as important to prepare yourself as it is your property.
As firefighters, no matter how many times you have done it, a big fire is something that makes your heart pound. It’s overwhelming for us, so think about how you will react.
We spend a lot of time talking about getting ready for summer.
Clean the gutters. Check the pumps. Slash around the sheds. Update the fire plan. Know where the important documents are. Make sure the generator starts.
All bloody important.
But there is another bit of preparedness I reckon we still don't talk enough about.
Preparing ourselves emotionally for what summer might bring.
Because for plenty of people who have lived through fire, flood, storms or drought, the next hot day isn't necessarily just a hot day.
That first really hot northerly can stir something up.
The smell of smoke can take you somewhere you weren't expecting to go.
A column of smoke on the horizon can make your stomach tighten before you've even worked out where it is.
Thunder rolling in, a summer storm building, the wind getting up or a dust storm coming across the paddock can bring back feelings and memories that you thought you had packed away.
And sometimes it catches you completely off guard.
We're only just into spring and already we've seen fire and smoke warnings in Queensland and a Watch and Act on the Gippsland coast. The seasonal outlook is mixed, but warmer conditions and elevated fire potential are already part of the conversation in a number of areas.
For communities that went through last summer, particularly those still rebuilding and recovering, this next season may feel very different.
That's why emotional preparedness needs to sit beside physical preparedness.
Maybe part of getting ready for summer is recognising what your triggers might be before they arrive.
Maybe it's having a conversation with your partner or family about how last summer affected you.
Knowing who you are going to ring when things start feeling a bit heavy.
Being conscious of how much news, weather information and emergency app checking you are consuming.
Knowing the things that settle you when your mind starts running ahead of you.
Checking in with the neighbour who says they're fine because they're always the one who says they're fine.
And perhaps accepting that a reaction to smoke, heat, wind or a warning on your phone doesn't mean you're going backwards.
It means you've been through something.
This is what I mean when I talk about Capacity Before Crisis.
We shouldn't wait until the next column of smoke is on the horizon to think about how we're travelling.
Prepare the property.
Prepare the livestock.
Prepare the business.
Have the fire plan.
But somewhere in that plan, make some room for the human beings who have to carry it out.
Because emotional preparedness is preparedness too.
