Every year Australians are surprised by the ferocity of bushfires and shattered when their properties are destroyed. We need to plan appropriately for living in bushfire-prone areas because, as the current crisis demonstrates, they are only becoming more devastating.

Property protection measures should include mandatory installation of rooftop sprinkler systems, use of fire-resistant housing materials, appropriate housing design and more rigorous management of the local combustible environment.

But as I have long advocated it should also include a properly prepared, sensible refuge of last resort.

The NSW Rural Fire Service’s bushfire advice is “leave early, your safest choice” or “decide to stay, only if you’re well prepared”. However, RFS data shows most houses destroyed by bushfires could have been saved if someone had stayed behind to extinguish burning embers and spot fires.