Do you know where all your important documentation is? Or the family photos?

What about family members, pets and sentimental possessions? 

Nobody likes to think about an emergency situation hitting them in their own homes, but it does and one of the most obvious is bushfire.

Every summer, the Rural Fire Service shares the message about having a bushfire survival plan and there is a good reason for that: Having a plan could save your life.

Today – Thursday, January 7, 2019 – marks 10 years since the Black Saturday fires in Victoria.

Those catastrophic fires claimed 173 lives and hundreds more people were injured, many very seriously.

An estimated 450,000 hectares were burned out and 3500 buildings were destroyed.

Communities like Kinglake were devastated and a decade later, are still trying to heal.

For those of us who were not directly affected by the fires, it often feels like there is little we can do to help.

We can donate money or offer compassionate thoughts, but sometimes it feels like there isn’t a great deal to do.

But perhaps there is one thing we can all do to honour these communities. We can listen to what has been learned from those fires and heed the messages that are being shared.

It may seem a bit obvious, but the being prepared for an emergency is on of the biggest favours we can do ourselves and the personnel who are going to be called on in a crisis.

A few months back, Wagga journalists had media accreditation training with the Rural Fire Service. It was an eye-opening experience.

It also confirmed in my own mind that there is no way I could defend my home, so I need to plan accordingly.

It’s not something anyone wants to think about: We are considering the loss of everything we own and that’s awful.

But we have to think about it, and we need to make sure our families know what we’re going to do.

Right now in Tasmania, an estimated 195,000 hectares has been burned out as the state continues to battle a bushfire crisis that began at Christmas time.

According to the Tasmanian Fire Service, a total of 24 fires were still burning across the state and more than 755 personnel have been fighting the fires this week, including 159 from interstate and New Zealand.

Firefighters put their lives on the line to save property that is not their own.

When these people are willing to step up and risk themselves for us, the least we can do is listen to their advice and make plans for coping with an emergency.

According to Bradley Stewart from the Rural Fire Service, the message is getting through, but slowly.

He said recent RFS figures show that the number of households with a bushfire survival plan was now about 60 per cent.

It’s not yet a great figure, but Mr Stewart said previously the figure was only 30 per cent, so at least its heading in the right direction.

If you’re not sure how to make plans, check out www.myfireplan.com.au. This website will walk you through all the issues you need to consider.

Obviously it’s not going to be tailor-made for every individual, but that’s where a chat with the family comes in.

Mr Stewart’s message is pretty straight forward: Have the conversation and make some plans.

As the wind is driving a wall of flames towards your home is not the time to be deciding you actually do want to get onto your roof with a hose to defend your property.

And don’t think living in a suburban environment means we are not at risk of “bushfire”.

In 2003, four people died and almost 500 buildings were destroyed after fires started by lightning in bushland burned into populated areas of the ACT.

Every major bushfire teaches firefighters more about how we can best deal with what is a commonplace event during Australian summers. We need to listen to what those firefighters are trying to tell us.