Fire Season Again: Bushfire Anxiety in Regional Australia
The burn-off permits are back, the fire danger sign by the highway matters again and the local radio is reading out ratings between the stock reports. If you live in regional Australia, especially somewhere that burned in the summer of 2019 and 2020, the start of fire season can bring a dread that's hard to explain to anyone who wasn't there.
It starts before anything is burning
Across most of NSW, the Bush Fire Danger Period began on 1 October, and other states have their own versions. This spring's national outlook is heavier than usual, too. With a strong El Niño bringing warmer, drier weather, fire authorities have flagged higher risk in parts of every state and the Northern Territory. So the worry turns up early, often weeks or months before there's any smoke on the horizon. You check the forecast for wind as well as rain. You notice how dry the grass is on the drive into town.
Your body remembers
For people who lived through Black Summer, a hot north-westerly, the smell of smoke or an orange tinge to the afternoon light can bring it all back in seconds. Your heart speeds up and sleep gets light on windy nights. That makes sense. Your body learned something in a frightening season and it's still trying to keep you safe, even on days when there's nothing to get away from.
Preparing helps, up to a point
The fire plan, the cleared gutters, the bag by the door with the documents and the dog's lead in it. These are real and useful, and for some people having a plan gives the worry somewhere to go. Preparing can slide into checking, though. Refreshing the fire app at 11pm. Going over the plan in your head until you're more wound up than when you started. It might be worth noticing whether the checking leaves you more settled, or only buys a few minutes before you need to check again.
It's often carried alone
In a small community, nearly everyone has a story from that summer. Some lost homes or stock, some were out on the trucks for weeks, some spent the whole season under smoke. That can make your own worry feel like it isn't worth mentioning, especially when others had it worse. Fire volunteers and parents holding it together for the kids are often the least likely to say how hard this time of year is for them.
Sorting the useful worry from the rest
Some of what you're feeling is a sensible response to a real risk, and some of it is worry that keeps running ahead of the facts. Counselling can help you tell them apart. In CBT, that might mean noticing the "what if" thoughts as they start, checking them against what's happening today and finding ways to bring your body down when a smell or a sound sets it off. Talking to someone outside the community can be a relief in itself, because you don't have to look after their feelings about that summer as well. It can happen online, from your own kitchen table.
Nobody who lives with fire season expects to feel relaxed about it. You can be well prepared and still feel uneasy every time the wind picks up. If the dread has been louder than usual this spring, that makes sense after what so many communities have already been through. And chances are some of the people around you are feeling it too, even if nobody has said so yet.