PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:
'Once in a hundred year event' does NOT mean it will only occur about once every hundred years. It means that EVERY YEAR the odds of it occurring are 100 to 1 against... which is not nearly as unlikely as once a century implies.
Pass this knowledge on, every time you hear someone make this mistake.

Never stay just leave, save your family, save your pets, save your sanity. No human can fight nature. Survivor of Black Saturday bush fire.

This is an absolutely fascinating documentary.  I'm from the UK so everything is new to me.  It does make you look at your home differently - do I have trees too close to the house etc.  I'm glad to hear our English Trees work well for fire breaks.  As I'm a visual learner I will remember everything I have learn from the programme, thanks for that.

I liked that the foreman called him to apologise

The problem with Black Saturday is that the wind broke windows and took tiles off roofs because it was so strong (estimated at 110 ks/h) so a lot of people who sheltered in their house, which had been safe on other fire occasions, were killed when the fire burned the house down around them. Most people who fled at the last second (which is a terrible thing to do but they weren't getting updates on the position of the fire until it was too late) ending up surviving. This seemed to break patterns of the past and I know this was a very different event, but it is discouraging to hear advice telling you to shelter in your house when you know 176 people died doing that, or leave as early as you can if not earlier, when you aren't being updated on the fire until it's at your door

The part about the wallaby in the house makes me miss home and absolutely proud to be Australian...this whole documentary is excellent.

Please where can I buy a copy of this amazing video. You have captured the emotions and how to prepare, act and survive so well. But please where can we buy this from.

It is the embers that kill.  It takes several minutes for a fire to ignite regular wood siding, so the house (and Barn) can tolerate the passage of the fire front IF you keep everything flammable at lest 12 meters out.  Once the fire front passes over kill any ember piles you find against the buildings and work your way outward.  It helps to have sprinklers out in the yard well ahead of any expected fire arrival to get everything well soaked to suppress spotting.

Such a tragic event - praying that this devastation will never happen again.  So very proud of my son-in-law.  They moved to Melbourne only 18 months ago and he's now an active member of the Country Fire Authority in Mernda, Victoria.  

Stumbled across this. Really informative clip. I like that it has stay and go arguments. The fact that people survived under such a horrific fire storm, means it’s possible.
It also shows why you should go if you are not prepared.
Thank you

thank you CFA i have been looking  for exactly this information:)

Understand the point of the video, but seriously staying to defend property against a bush fire is sheer stupidity. No property is EVER worth the same value of a human life.  Would have thought the explosive apocalypse of Black Saturday, would have driven that point home.

Just watching this again as we face what looks like could be a difficult fire season. It's only september and the KBDI is already over 100 in my area.

I want to know if the cows in the dam survived?

The house in pheasant creek so nice

I am just wondering ,whether it would be an idea to have cellars underneath the houses (as they do in many European countries)or shelters, similar,but more reinforced, as have for tornado´s in the US.This was a heartbreaking event.

8:33 12:03

Hi Mick. Send us your contact details at cfaconnect@cfa.vic.gov.au

The copa - our plan worked.
What plan mate, luck? If your property was never going to survive then why even be there. Typical copa even a failure is written as a win.

trollololol