Timboon residents have been urged to update their fire plans with Corangamite mayor Neil Trotter warning there was no real safe place to shelter in the event of a fire.
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Cr Trotter said the town was in a high risk zone and said Timboon dodged a bullet the night of the 2018 St Patrick's Day fires which came within four kilometres of the town.
He said he feared many were oblivious to the fire risk in the town, and this summer's fires had spurred people on to ensure they had adequate fire plans.
Cr Trotter said there was no real safe place for people to shelter in Timboon.
He said the Timboon Hall had been earmarked as a "place of last resort" not a refuge. "We don't believe Timboon is safe at all," he said.
He said he was urging people to get their fire plans done, but the only real option was to "get out" early.
Cr Trotter said he had attended fire-planning meetings with residents over the past month and was shocked when it was revealed just 15 per cent of people had fire plans, and even less had written them down.
He said there were very few places in Timboon that wouldn't be impacted in the event of a fire. "If you look at the fire maps, it's really scary," he said.
"Timboon has substantial forest right into the town."
Mr Trotter, who lives in Timboon, said it wasn't until the power went out and he went outside to inspect a tree that had fallen that he saw the glow of the flames on St Patrick's Day.
He tried to leave town that night but tree limbs were blocking nearly all roads out of town.
"Roads shouldn't be fire traps," he said.
Cr Trotter said people in Timboon needed to think about leaving early on code red days and seriously consider it on total fire ban days.
He said he was concerned the town's residents didn't realise how dangerous it was there.
"When you've got a town full of retirees and vulnerable people, it's pretty concerning," he said.
"It's a very hard place to defend."
Cr Trotter said that there was not much open ground in Timboon that was classified as safe.
He urged people to make sure they were well insured, and in the event of a fire "get out".
The next meeting will be held on February 12 at 6pm at Senior Citizens Hall.
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