Waipara farmer Ian Knowles has one plea for rural residents ahead of fire season: know your neighbours, have an emergency bag packed and be ready to evacuate.

By the time a wildfire swept across Knowles’s boundary fence last summer, “it was already going gangbusters”.

Knowles says conditions in North Canterbury in summer mean that a fire is likely to be unbeatable until the Fire and Emergency helicopters arrive. “The first time you go through a wildfire event, it’s a terrible shock. You’re walking around in a zombie state until you realise you need to get into action.

“Ring 111 as soon as you can – don’t be shy about asking for help.”

Knowles says, where possible, get the neighbourhood grapevine activated.

“It’s important you have those relationships. If you can, send a text to five of your neighbours and then follow that up with a phone call. Ask them to contact five other people.”

The Canterbury earthquakes mean most people have an emergency bag “front of mind”, says Knowles, and he was no exception. His preparations included having good farm maps on hand that clearly showed the layout of the farm for emergency services and a plan for moving his stock.

“Have an emergency bag ready to go. Look after those who are more vulnerable in the community, and think about medication that you might not be able to get after hours.”

Knowles says it can be a hard call to evacuate.

“As a farmer, you feel responsible and that you’ve got to fix the situation but the reality is you’ve got to stand back and think.”

Knowles is grateful for a solid neighbourhood support network that worked together, with his closest neighbours coming over to load his dogs for him while he liaised with emergency services.

Everyone, Knowles said, had emergency bags ready to go. “Have a bag packed and just get moving.”

Hurunui District Council’s Emergency Management Officer Allan Grigg says it’s important to think about what immediate evacuation might look like for your household.

“What happens if you’re not at home and can’t get back home – what happens to your animals?”

Grigg encourages both urban and rural residents to have those conversations with neighbours to create a plan to cover each other to move stock or pets. “Learn where things are so that you can cover for each other in an emergency.

“It’s like a business continuity plan,” Grigg says. “You need to think about contingencies.”

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