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Survival plan stress test exercise
Canberra has experienced a period of relatively low bushfire activity since 2019–2020. As time passes from a major event, community risk awareness and preparedness behaviours naturally decline. It is therefore critical to reinforce the reality of bushfire risk in the ACT, how quickly conditions can escalate, and why a practised survival plan can make the difference between life and death.
To support this, a practical exercise was conducted by the ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA) with volunteer households in the Canberra suburbs of Strathnairn and Macnamara (suburbs in bushfire prone areas) to stress-test their survival plans. Participants responded to a simulated bushfire scenario, receiving escalating warnings via mobile phone, interpreting alerts, activating their plans, and ultimately evacuating to a community centre. In the absence of a recent major event, testing the effectiveness of an action-based engagement on community behaviour change was of key interest.
The post-exercise workshop identified important insights. While participants found the Australian Warning System (AWS) simple and accessible, many assumed its colour scheme aligned directly with the Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS) and the four colour-coded steps of the ESA Survival Plan (Discuss, Prepare, Know, Keep). This highlighted potential confusion about when and how survival plan steps should be applied during an emergency. These insights are being incorporated into the development/refresh of ESA’s 2026/27 ‘Be Emergency Ready’ campaign, our annual bushfire and storm safety campaign, and associated materials, complementing a comprehensive research and creative development process.
This discussion also introduced the concept of ‘Street Champions’ — local leaders who can strengthen preparedness, connect community capabilities, and build neighbourhood resilience. Autonomy was identified as a key driver behind preparedness, and includes the community as active partners in preparedness – not passive recipients of information. This is a community-driven example of ‘Leading Together’.
To support this, a practical exercise was conducted by the ACT Emergency Services Agency (ESA) with volunteer households in the Canberra suburbs of Strathnairn and Macnamara (suburbs in bushfire prone areas) to stress-test their survival plans. Participants responded to a simulated bushfire scenario, receiving escalating warnings via mobile phone, interpreting alerts, activating their plans, and ultimately evacuating to a community centre. In the absence of a recent major event, testing the effectiveness of an action-based engagement on community behaviour change was of key interest.
The post-exercise workshop identified important insights. While participants found the Australian Warning System (AWS) simple and accessible, many assumed its colour scheme aligned directly with the Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS) and the four colour-coded steps of the ESA Survival Plan (Discuss, Prepare, Know, Keep). This highlighted potential confusion about when and how survival plan steps should be applied during an emergency. These insights are being incorporated into the development/refresh of ESA’s 2026/27 ‘Be Emergency Ready’ campaign, our annual bushfire and storm safety campaign, and associated materials, complementing a comprehensive research and creative development process.
This discussion also introduced the concept of ‘Street Champions’ — local leaders who can strengthen preparedness, connect community capabilities, and build neighbourhood resilience. Autonomy was identified as a key driver behind preparedness, and includes the community as active partners in preparedness – not passive recipients of information. This is a community-driven example of ‘Leading Together’.
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