General News
12 December, 2022
Fire Danger Period begins next week
The Fire Danger Period (FDP) will begin in the Central Goldfields Shire next Monday, with residents told to do their fire prevention work now before it’s too late. Announced last week, the FDPs commencement date marks one of the latest starts to...
The Fire Danger Period (FDP) will begin in the Central Goldfields Shire next Monday, with residents told to do their fire prevention work now before it’s too late.
Announced last week, the FDPs commencement date marks one of the latest starts to a local fire season for some years and was delayed due to the return of a La Niña weather pattern, which led to widespread rainfall and flooding in parts of the state, particularly in October.
While rain and fire generally don’t mix, the Seasonal Bushfire Outlook for summer identified the potential for increased grassfire conditions this fire season, due to significant grass growth and delayed harvest activities as a result of rain.
Based on the outlook, the fire season is expected to be normal in Victoria, except for parts of central, north east and eastern Victoria where the potential is below normal.
Goldfields group of brigades group officer Peter Higgins said there had been discussions around declaring the FDP after Christmas, however the weekend of December 2 and 3, which saw temperatures rise to over 30 degrees, accelerated the process.
“We had that discussion with brigades in our district and three weeks ago we were talking about calling the FDP after Christmas,” he said.
“We had a warm Saturday and Sunday two weekends ago and that really blew us out of the park — it dried everything out.”
Mr Higgins said it was crucial that residents prepared their properties for the fire season now, before restrictions came into place next week.
“Make sure you’ve got a fire plan, it’s something that’s said a lot but it really is a simple thing you can have in place that ultimately could save lives in the event of a fire,” he said.
“I can’t stress enough that people who are planning to burn off need to log a call to ESTA on 1800 668 511 or go online and get it registered.
“It’s important to be careful of what you burn and how you burn, make sure you have lots of water on hand and there’s a mineral earth break around it.
“Don’t become complacent and pick the days you’re going to do your preparation work — if it’s windy for example, don’t light a fire.
“If we can do the best prevention work we can, it’s going to prevent major heartaches for people.”
Mr Higgins said given the wet conditions the region is currently experiencing and with more rain forecast, it’s possible the fire season will run further into the new year than normal.
“There’s talk of a major rain event in January so if we don’t get that, there’s a strong possibility we won’t start seeing fires for another month,” he said.
“Because the fire season has been called late due to the moisture we’ve had, we could be fighting fires in March rather than right at the start of the year.”
Mr Higgins took on the position of group officer in July this year and has focussed on establishing a core team of deputy group officers.
The group officers each rotate as duty officers in the event of an emergency and Mr Higgins said it was important to him that everyone was on the same page.
“Communication and teamwork is really important, especially in an organisation like this,” he said.
“My focus has been making sure the deputy group officers are all on the same page, we all know what’s going on and can communicate clearly if we have to set up a command facility in the event of an incident.
“The deputy group officers, as well as brigade captains and firefighters are also good to ask questions of or seek advice from if you need it, they will likely give you the best information and advice because of the local knowledge they have.”
The FDP will begin in the Central Goldfields Shire at 1 am next Monday, December 19.
No burning off is permitted during the FDP without a permit to burn, which can be applied for through the Fire Permits Victoria website.
If you are using fire to clean up your property ahead of the FDP, you should notify authorities of the burn-off at the Fire Permits Victoria website at www.firepermits.vic.gov.au, or by calling ESTA on 1800 668 511.