Planning dog loading before bushfire conditions

Key facts

Source jurisdiction

NSW Rural Fire Service planning resources [source]

Use local fire-service planning

NSW Rural Fire Service publishes a bushfire survival plan and a separate pet-and-animal preparation fact sheet. These resources provide the planning context for NSW households. They do not make a kennel, trailer or vehicle a safe refuge. Owners elsewhere should use their relevant fire authority and follow official directions during a real event rather than relying on this general equipment-planning discussion.

Describe who will do the task

List the people who may be present, the dogs they can handle and the transport actually available. Consider the ordinary route between accommodation and the vehicle before buying extra equipment. Write down who can access keys, leads, records and the prepared kit. A plan that depends on one absent person is difficult to carry out even when the property owns substantial transport equipment.

Test arrangements in ordinary conditions

Practise the agreed loading process without simulating dangerous conditions or delaying departure to retrieve equipment. Check that the planned containers and other essential items can be accommodated together. Record unresolved practical issues for correction well before high-risk weather. The purpose is to discover a missing key, unsuitable access or unclear responsibility during preparation rather than while an emergency instruction is being issued.

Keep emergency decisions with authorities

Confirm a destination through the household plan and keep relevant official information accessible. Do not regard the availability of a water tank, dog trailer or protective cover as a reason to remain in a threatened area. This guide concerns advance organisation only. It provides no firefighting, shelter-in-place or evacuation-route advice and cannot establish whether a particular departure time, road or property is safe.

Common questions

Sources & further reading

References for this guide. Rules and services can change; check the responsible organisation for current details.

• NSW RFS: bushfire survival plan (opens in a new tab)
• NSW RFS: prepare pets and animals (opens in a new tab)

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