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It’s time to get ready for the Fire Season!
The 2023 Six Week Challenge has ended! Catch up on the emails below.
Come and meet us at our fire station on Saturday 16 September 2023 for a FREE BBQ and get your questions answered. 10am til 2pm, 26 Fitzgerald St Katoomba.
Register now for 2024! Just pop your email address in the form on this page.
The Six Week Challenge is a series of 6 emails over 6 weeks. By spending just an hour or two each weekend you can get ready for the fire season.
Catch up on the 2023 emails:
Week 1: Discover Your Area & Plan Your Escape »
Week 2: Will I stay or will I go? »
Week 4: Beat the embers with a Yard Blitz!
Week 5: When a bush fire is near, what should you do first?… Home Evaluation.
What is the forecast for the 2023 fire season?
Much drier than usual.
Dry: We’ve just had the La Niña weather event for three years straight which has only happened three times in the last 100 years. La Niña is the reason it has been so wet. Every time we’ve had three in a row, the following bush fire season was extremely dry resulting in large bush fires. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology says a El Niño weather event in now likely, which provides further support to the possibility of a dry bush fire season. Get the latest from the BOM.
Fuel: The bush has enjoyed three wet years which has resulted in above average growth in the understory which adds more fuel for a bush fire. In the Blue Mountains the 2019-2020 bush fires left a wide green unburnt corridor across most of the Blue Mountains villages, so that fuel load remains. See a map.
Encourage your neighbours, friends and family to participate in the Challenge, even if they are not in the Blue Mountains. Just share a link to this page where they can register and find out more. The more households who participate the safer our community will be.
What is the Six Week Challenge and what will I be doing?
It’s the original inbox challenge. Each week for six weeks we’ll send you an email that includes fun but important tasks to help you prepare for the bush fire season. We’ll cover topics such as what to do on the day of a bush fire, how to prepare your property, what should be in your Emergency Box, tips for renters, and how to make a Plan B. The Challenge complements the NSW RFS Bushfire Survival Plan.
But is it too challenging?! Not really. We won’t ask you to open your home to show off your preparations, or raise any money, or run 50km like some other challenges do, but if you want to do any of those we’re happy to help!
Is it free? Yes!
But I’m not from the Blue Mountains. Not a problem!. The Challenge is relevant no matter where you live. If you have any questions during the Challenge about where you live get in touch with your local Rural Fire Service District or Brigade, the whole of the RFS is ready to answer your questions.
How do I participate?
- Register using the form on this page. Be sure to check your email after to confirm your registration.
- Tell your neighbours! A safer street means a safer you. Use the sharing buttons at the top of this page.
- Check your email every Friday afternoon for the next email. You can always catch up on previous weeks at the top of this page.
- Now you have all weekend, or even the whole week, to complete the easy weekly tasks. By the end you’ll be a pro and you might find yourself leaning over your fence pointing out faults in your neighbours preparations. If that happens just blame us!
During the challenge you can ask us questions via our Facebook page or our contact form.
How it started
The Six Week Challenge first ran during July and August 2015. Take a look back at the 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015 Challenges.
86%
of 2015 participants
said they would
do it again!
This is a marvellous initiative. If all six emails are as good as this one I can see Katoomba Leura RFB getting an award for community preparedness. Hugh via Facebook
But wait there’s more
Follow our Facebook page for live events and more tips and hacks for a safer fire season.
