Firefighters from New South Wales helped Californians battle wildfires in August 2018, when Australia’s wintertime rains prevented bush fires. This year, as California’s fires grow, New South Wales is experiencing what inspector Ben Shepherd of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service calls the worst beginning of a bushfire season that he has seen in 20 years. He says NSW and California have much in common, and that the same advice applies for people in all fire-prone areas — have a plan.