Nick

Male | 20s | under 3 minutes
Starts on page 12

EXTRACT: I thought that fighting a real fire for the first time would feel … natural – like I was born to do it, like it would be this … fluid instinctive sort of action. But it wasn’t. It was…deliberate, and clunky and awkward. My head had to work overtime, thinking about every move, every decision. I lost track of how many times I just stood there for a moment…. feeling like nothing I was doing was making any difference. The fire was too big, too hot, too angry.

Sally

Female | 20s | 3 to 5 minutes
Starts on page 13

EXTRACT: I grabbed my beanie and my mask and went outside, circling around the house. Hose in one hand and buckets and buckets upended. I kept having to douse my beanie in water to put out embers that were falling on my head. They came from everywhere. Some would glow for a second and then die, and others would ignite. There were fires popping up everywhere. That was the next hour, at least.The heat was unbearable. Every now and then I would upend one of the buckets on my head, or gulp down the water, ash and all.

BUSH FIRE EDUCATION RESOURCE

VICTORIAN CURRICULUM AND ASSESSMENT AUTHORITY

Resources to support bushfire education.

2009 VICTORIAN BUSHFIRES ROYAL COMMISSION

2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission final report.