Ahead of the 2025-26 fire season, CFA is highlighting the exemplary co-ordinated community response shown in the west of the state last fire season.
The Yarram Gap Fire in the Grampians National Park burned more than 76,000 hectares of national park and 13,500 hectares of farmland in December 2024.
Despite its scale, just four residential properties and 40 outbuildings were destroyed.
Most notably, no lives were lost, a result CFA Assistant Chief Fire Officer Regional Commander (Grampians) Mark Gunning AFSM says was not down to chance.
Speaking at the recent Emergency Management Victoria Conference, Mark credited the successful outcome to the remarkable cooperation and shared responsibility orchestrated between local communities, CFA and other Emergency Services agencies.
"We need to acknowledge that there were some very significant impacts in a couple of areas, however we've never had a fire of this size in the Western District with such minimal loss," Mark said.
"That wasn't luck. It was preparation, planning, and everyone working together. You make your own luck."
The Yarram Gap Fire, which was sparked by lightning on 16 December, merged with other large fires and at one stage threatened more than 5,200 homes.
Mark said it was vital to ensure residents in Watch and Act and Emergency Warning areas understood that a fire truck could not be at every at-risk property.
"The response we had from the community was a prime example of shared responsibility in action," he said.
"It only works if everyone knows their role, and this time people stepped up. Even an imperfect plan is better than no plan. The work you do before a fire starts will pay off when it arrives."
In the key days between 18–26 December, before the fire reached populated areas, CFA brigades, Indigenous Fire Teams, local governments, and residents worked side by side. Public information teams held community meetings in Stawell, Halls Gap, Pomonal, and Dunkeld, ensuring locals had timely, accurate information to act.
Firebreaks were cut, properties prepared, and evacuation plans put into action.
Mark said the Grampians response is a benchmark for all communities facing the threat of bushfire.
"We don't need a fire over the hill to start getting ready. We can start that work today. Clearing vegetation, talking to your family, checking in on your neighbours, it all makes a difference," he said.
