General News
29 October, 2025
Pet owners urged to plan ahead for fire season
LEXTON CFA teamed up with RSPCA Victoria this week to remind pet owners to include their animals in their bushfire plans ahead of the coming fire season. RSPCA Victoria’s Head of Prevention, Rebecca Cook, said it was crucial for families to think about pets when preparing for emergencies.
“Our pets are part of our family, so it’s really important to remember our pets when we are doing our bushfire planning,” she said.
“What we really encourage is that when you are doing a fire-ready plan, you think about your pets, you take that 10 minutes to think about what you could do with your pets.”
Ms Cook said there were three key steps pet owners could take to prepare.
“One is to really ensure that you’ve got your microchip details up to date on your pet so that if your pet does happen to get lost during an emergency, you can find them.
“Secondly, make sure you’ve got all your documents, medical certificates, vaccination certificates, somewhere you can access them.
“The third thing is to have an emergency go bag,” she said.
She recommended including food, water bowls, bedding and any medications pets might need, and advised keeping pets indoors during emergencies to prevent them from hiding and wasting precious time.
“We do hear some really awful stories of pets that have not made it out for whatever reason, haven’t been reunited with their owners, so it’s really important that you prepare,” she said.
For larger animals such as livestock and horses, the RSPCA advises moving them to low-vegetation paddocks with fire-resistant containers for food and water, and recommends microchipping where possible in case fences are damaged.
Captain of the Lexton Fire Brigade Matt Briody said brigades across the state were preparing for what could be a challenging season.
“This year we have 540 CFA brigades across the state taking part in our Get Fire Ready campaign,” he said.
“We’re all gearing up for the fire season because we are going to have a fairly dry and higher fire risk year coming up. We need to be responsible for our pets, not just ourselves. It takes time to move these guys, especially if they run away and hide or get lost.”
He encouraged locals to make use of nearby Get Fire Ready events to learn about their area’s fire risk.
“Drop in and have a talk to your local guys and get an idea of what the local situation’s like, relevant to your fire risk coming up this year,” he said.
“Fire readiness starts with you.”
Local brigade member Nicholas Jolley shared his own experience when catastrophic fires came within three kilometres of his property.
“We had to practice floating horses, getting dogs inside, getting cats inside, getting them used to cages and leads so that way if we need to evacuate, we could do so very quickly,” he said.
“Animals know there’s danger, so they do get a bit nervous.”
He recommended that owners of larger animals build connections with people outside high-risk zones, such as through local pony clubs, to ensure they have safe places to relocate animals if evacuation becomes necessary.
Visit the CFA website to find the Fire Ready Kit to help you plan for this upcoming season
https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/before-and-during-a-fire/fire-ready-kit