In the summer Australians live with the risk of fire. The sun rose this morning on a day of ”extreme” risk. At my house, dense and acrid smoke haze blotted out our view of the sea, even though the current fires are over one hundred miles away. No walks, no gardening, no having coffee under the verandah, at least not for old folks like me.

Some days the risk is only ”severe” and indeed often the rating gets as low as ”very high”. The days we all dread are those labelled ”catastrophic”. On such days we are told: “leave homes in forested areas, thick bush or long, dry grass; act immediately - do not wait and see. Prepare, know and practice a plan for:

• When you will leave
• How you will get there
• What you will do if you cannot leave
• Where you will go
• When you will return”