By JESSE GRAHAM
YARRA Glen CFA Captain, Bill Boyd, is asking residents to get ready for a hot and dry fire season, as fire brigades prepare for potential Code Red days.
Capt Boyd, speaking with the Mail last month, said that crews were preparing for “a hot one”, following hot weather early in October and a taste of the coming season with the runaway Lancefield fire.
“I was over in Lancefield last week, and certainly the bush is drying out,” he said.
“We’re all feeling that it’s going to be an early season and a long season – El Nino is coming down and we’ve been warned it’s going to be a hot one.”
To mark that early start, Capt Boyd said crews were in pre-season preparation, honing their skills and practicing, to ensure they were ready when the worst of the season hit.
The worst may be on the cards, he said, with talk of potential Code Red days coming up when the summer heat peaks.
According to the CFA, a Fire Danger Rating (FDR) of Code Red indicates the worst conditions for bush and grass fires.
“Homes are not designed or constructed to withstand fires in these conditions,” the CFA’s website reads.
“The safest place to be is away from high risk bushfire areas.”
The CFA website recommends that residents leave the night before or early on the day of a Code Red rating, and to avoid forested or heavily-grassed areas.
Code Red days are advertised four days in advance, and the CFA website said residents should know their triggers to leave, and make decisions about when to leave, where to go, how to get there, when to return and what to do if they cannot leave.
Capt Boyd said the Yarra Ranges was in a similar state leading up to this year’s season as it was last year, but that growth and drying out could pose a higher risk.
“Now’s the time for people to get property works happening,” he said.
“Service your water pumps – make sure they work.
“Get your fire plan in order, get all your secure documents somewhere – get a grab-bag made up, so you can get it and grab it when you’ve got to.”
He said residents should also ensure that driveways are accessible for fire trucks, which are three metres wide, three metres tall and eight metres long, and that water sources, such as dams or water tanks, are accessible for fire-fighters.
For more information about Fire Danger Ratings, Code Red days and fire preparation, visit www.cfa.vic.gov.au.
