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Nearly a third of Victorians living in high-risk bushfire areas will wait until they feel threatened by a fire before leaving their homes.
The Country Fire Authority's community survey found 28.6 per cent of people would hold off leaving until the final moment, and 30.9 per cent would wait to hear what to do from emergency services.
About 14 per cent of residents said they would stay and defend their property.
CFA chief Jason Heffernan said the figures were alarming, especially in light of the 2019-20 bushfires.
Five people were killed, 458 primary and non-primary residences were destroyed or damaged, and more than 1.5 million hectares burnt during that summer.
"Victoria has had quieter fire seasons the last few years, but now is not the time for the community to become complacent," Mr Heffernan said.
"While our firefighters are always well prepared, your safety during fire season is a shared responsibility."
The seasonal bushfire outlook is predicting a normal fire risk for most of Victoria over the coming months, but the predicted El Nino weather pattern will likely increase the risk for some areas.
Mr Heffernan encouraged people in fire-prone locations to develop a bushfire survival plan and prepare their home in case of an emergency.
Measures residents can take include moving winter woodpiles away from homes or sheds, pruning tree branches, clearing gutters, and keeping grass shorter than 10cm.
"We simply can’t get a truck to every house during a major bushfire," Mr Heffernan said.
"Fire safety is a joint effort and the community need to also take on this responsibility when living in a bushfire-prone area."