The mercury is predicted to hit 34 degrees today and 38 tomorrow, with a very high fire danger rating in place.

Complacency is the biggest risk when it comes to staying safe in a bushfire, according to NSW Rural Fire Service Chifley Zone fire mitigation officer Rebecca Phillips.

She said people need to pre-plan for themselves, as well as their family, pets, livestock, home and property, long before a bushfire comes.

The horrific Black Saturday bushfires that ripped through Victoria in February 2009 killed 173 people, and left 414 injured, created a greater emphasis on the need for people to create a Bushfire Survival Plan.

“While people are aware of it and understand it, they haven’t gone home and done one,” she said.

Ms Phillips said the Plan asks you to think about your level of fitness, if there are any children in the house, older members of the family, as well as your ability and resources available to stay and defend your property.

“You’ve got to be physically and emotionally ready to carry out the plan,” she said.

“It’s about preparing yourself and also your property ... it’s about understanding your level of risk.”

The NSW Rural Fire Service website urges people to be responsible for reducing risk to their family and property, and to take action to survive a bushfire.

“The most important decision is whether you and your family will leave early or if you will stay and defend your well-prepared home,” the website urges.

“The majority of deaths during bushfires result from people trying to leave their homes at the last moment.”

Ms Phillips said plans need to be “specific” to you and your home, and they need to be flexible enough to change when your circumstances or the home’s occupants change.

An annual review of your Bushfire Survival Plan is recommended.

Visit www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/plan-and-prepare to download a Bushfire Survival Plan, pick one up from RFS Fire Control in Lee Street, Kelso or download the free My Fire Plan app for smartphone users.