Stay or Go Policy

[CFS_Firey]

The media seems very keen to push the point that the Stay or Go policy is flawed and should be canned in order to save lives.

Does anyone else see this is a stupid move?

What other choices are there?  None!  I thought that was pretty obvious.

Throwing the "Stay or Go" policy into doubt simply encourages people not to make a bushfire action plan because they think that choosing to stay or go will get them killed.

Discuss.

[Darren]

It should be explained further, they never pushed the whole Stay meaning you think you can save your house or GO means go at 8 in the morning and go to somewhere safe etc.

[Firefrog]

The two options should "Prepare your home, Stay and be prepared to Defend" or "Leave Early in the day"

Based on the experiences I have had I believe a well prepared property is defendable from most bush fire events. There is always an exception and I guess it's the exception that has everyone in a flurry right now.

No easy answers - but I think it should be considered a right to choose if you stay and defend. Forced Evacs are dangerous unless done super early and coordinated very well. Not something that tends to happen in the chaos of a big job.

[Pipster]

The new "Policy" is Prepare, Act, Survive - or is that the media message - to me it is pretty much the same message, just rebadged in a pretty package.....

After all, there are really only two options - stay & defend, or leave early...can't really see any other option.....

Pip

[2468]

The tite of "Stay and Go" is tarnished... A rebadging with a not so slick media campaign is what is needed... No offence but no gives a scheiße about the premier telling us what to do... get the cameras to SACFS station have a officer, cadet or firefighter tell the camera...

Cause when politions speak most people do not listen, or care what they think.

[Alan J]

I'd like to point out that "Stay of Go" is not the policy of any Australian Fire Service & never was.
It's the filtered child of a media that can't think in whole sentences.
The AFAC & Service policy has for years been
Prepare your home, Stay and be prepared to Defend, or Leave Early in the day.

But that is too complicated for the popular press, so they shortened it to
something never intended (stay or go), and easily manipulated into the deadly
"Fight or Flight" headline and message.  
By doing so, I believe the media is directly responsible for a great many
bushfire deaths.  Now, to cover their own backsides, we now see the media
blaming the fire services & scientists for a phrase which is of their own
making, not ours.

I see "Prepare, Act, Survive" as being something so simplified that the press
can't butcher it.  It also pushes the message that people are responsible to
act for their own safety.

Not entirely happy with it, but under the circumstances, it is probably as good
as we are going to get.

cheers