There are many factors that affect how much risk a fire poses to a person's life. These include the amount and type of nearby vegetation, the shape of the terrain, the weather conditions, as well as the availability of water and the physical health of the person affected. In most fires, the major killers usually are body burns from radiation heat, dehydration, and asphyxiation or choking. To help people on foot reduce the dangers posed by these killers, Emergency Management Australia makes the following recommendations when a wildfire approaches in its booklet entitled "Hazards, Disasters, and Survival: A Booklet for Students and the Community":

• DO NOT PANIC, cover all exposed skin. Wear long woolen or heavy cotton clothes and solid boots or shoes, and cover your head and use gloves. They will give protection against radiant heat.

• Move ACROSS SLOPE, away from the fire...