Fire Danger Period declared in Strathbogie Shire

Thursday, 25 October, 2018

With the Fire Danger Period now in effect in the Strathbogie Shire as of this week, Council is urging residents, who haven’t already, to prepare themselves and their properties now.

According to the CFA, now the Fire Danger Period has been declared, fire restrictions have come into force. This means you cannot light a fire in the open air unless you have a permit or comply with certain requirements.

There are also significant restrictions when it comes to a number of activities including barbeques, campfires, burning off, driving vehicles and using chainsaws.

According to CFA, current climate outlooks produced by the Bureau of Meteorology indicate warmer and drier conditions, which will worsen the current state of dryness in spring and early summer.

Strathbogie Shire’s Municipal Emergency Manager, Ken Ross is urging residents, who haven’t already, to start preparing their properties now.

“We urge landowners and residents to start preparing to ensure their land is as safe as possible.”

Mr Ross said properties within townships or less than 2Ha must remove all flammable rubbish from their yards and ensure grass and weeds are kept cut to a height of no more than 100mm.

“Properties greater than 2Ha must slash around all buildings to a minimum distance of 20 metres,” Mr Ross explained.

“Property boundaries must be slashed to a width of 6 metres. When neighbouring dwellings and assets are nearby this must be increased to at least 20 metres.”

“If owners and occupiers fail to keep a fire safe environment, a Fire Prevention Notice will be issued by Council.

It is a requirement for the owner or occupier to follow the requests in the Fire Prevention Notice throughout the entire fire season, not just at the time the notice is received. 

This year there will also be an additional fee of $100.00 attached to the Fire Prevention notice to cover administration costs.

A further failure to maintain the requirements of the Fire Prevention Notice will result in a $1611.90 fine issued by Council,” Mr Ross explained.

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