At noon on January 30, a car accident in Churchill Park Drive sparked a 35-hectare fire in Churchill National Park and Dandenong Police Paddocks, fuelled by 44.5-degree heat and strong northerly winds.

More than 350 CFA firefighters ensured no surrounding homes were lost, but Ms Meadows was shaken by the close call.

Ms Meadows lives near the Churchill Park Golf Club course, which caught fire that day. She said she had never expected bushfire to threaten the suburbs. One thing she remembers is how fast the fire spread.

"It was very scary. I was on my way home when I saw the smoke and thought that it was terribly close. I got a call from my sister-in-law and they came over right away [to help protect the house].

"It was moving so fast. It got a couple of hundred metres away because of the way it came through the golf course.

"You're more aware of what could happen and how it could happen, and to be aware and be prepared around the home."

Harkaway resident Darren Batchelor said he had no hesitation in thinking that next summer would be a serious fire risk. "We're looking at safety plans for the area, especially for old people and people with disabilities."

He is president of a residents group, which is distributing fire-safety surveys after a grass and scrubland fire that started in Narre Warren North threatened the community on Black Saturday.

The survey, available at Harkaway General Store, asks residents whether they support a fire alarm in Harkaway, the removal of hazardous vegetation, fire-access tracks and a fire refuge.