WUI Fire Evacuation and Sheltering Considerations — Assessment Planning and Execution
STAY AND DEFEND
"Stay and defend" refers to an alternative to evacuation in which residents prepare and intend to remain at their property to defend against the fire and ember exposures, with the goal of saving structures and lives. The "stay and defend" approach can work under certain scenarios where there is an appropriate balance among actual fire exposure levels, structure/parcel ignition resistance, and effective defensive actions.
Exposure sources from adjacent parcels are beyond the control of residents and can easily exceed the ability to suppress them.
HISTORY OF STAY
AND DEFEND
In Australia, stay and defend was gradually adopted into policy during the 1960s as a civil defense-like approach to public safety as development expanded into fire-prone rural areas beyond the capacity of the existing fire service.
Subsequent disastrous bushfires resulted in an increasing emphasis on individual responsibility and decision-making, with the stay and defend approach evolving into "Stay or Go" after the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires, and into "Prepare Act Survive" after the 2009 Black Saturday fires.
There is a critical difference in fuel density from large rural parcels where this approach might be feasible compared to today's WUI suburban settings with densely placed structures and other fuels.
DANGERS OF STAY
AND DEFEND
Residents who choose to do so should be aware of the potential scenarios they might face and fully understand the associated risks. Immediate health risks include severe burns and death. Even if one does survive, long-term impacts can include respiratory complications. Learn more...
