Make no mistake, while grass fires are less intense than forest fires, they can be just as dangerous. They can start mere hours after rain stops, and often spread at breakneck speed, too fast for people to outrun. Many people have been killed when trapped in the open or in cars by fast-moving grass fires.

Their spread can be highly unpredictable and catch communities unaware. In my 51 years as a firefighter with Fire & Rescue NSW and as an RFS volunteer, I’ve sometimes been caught out when a sudden wind change sent a raging grass fire in an unexpected direction.

They’re volatile: difficult to predict and hard to tame.

Fires currently raging in Australia are a taste of what could come later this year. We need to overhaul our disaster management arrangements, designed for the tamer climate of the 1990s, and prepare now for the worst.

La Niña may still have a sting in its tail, with February and March often seeing heavy rains, but don’t be fooled – we need to get ready now for the possibility of firestorms just around the corner.