By Jesse Graham
“BE prepared, stay alert,” is the warning from the CFA in the lead-up to this year’s fire season, with a last call for burning off and clearing properties before summer gets into full swing.
The Badger Creek CFA is warning residents to prepare for the fire season, with summer officially beginning and the weather starting to warm up.
Brigade members visited Healesville Sanctuary on Thursday, 1 December, to drive around tracks and inspect land at the back of the property, after staff cleared paths and created fire-breaks for the coming season.
Sanctuary horticulture worker Tim Winter said a 50-metre wide, 500-metre long fire break had been created at the northwest side of the sanctuary, with slashing and clearing works around the paths in the Coranderrk area.
About 142 hectares of land around Coranderrk and 32 hectares of land in the sanctuary had been worked on, to prepare for the fire season.
Sanctuary employee and Badger Creek firefighter, Murray Ellis, said the works meant that, in the event of a fire or an ember attack, firefighters could stop a bushfire from reaching the sanctuary proper.
“If it does get into this Coranderrk bushland, hopefully we’ll be able to stop it before it gets into the park proper, where we’ve got the huge issues of infrastructure, people and animals,” he said.
“We drive every one of the tracks, so we know they’re all clear, they’re all ready – so if there is a problem, we can get a strike team in there, we can tell them straight-up, ‘You can drive the tracks, you’re not going to get trapped’.”
Badger Creek captain Josh Martin said the works around the sanctuary were a reminder for residents to clear their properties before the Fire Danger Period, when burning off is not allowed.
“It’s paramount for everyone,” he said.
“If everyone did what the Healesville Sanctuary is doing, the world would be a happier place – and a safer place, that’s for sure.”
Mr Ellis said residents should sweep up debris, such as tree limbs and branches, and excess green waste, and recycle or burn it.
“And have a proper fire plan,” he said.
“But if they keep their property clean and neat, they keep their gutters clean, they have water around, they’re getting half a chance of keeping themselves safe, and everyone else around.
“If you clean your properties, that’s a fire break in itself.”
While the Fire Danger Period has not been announced for Yarra Ranges, other municipalities around the state are announcing the beginning of their period, which includes strict restrictions on burning off and lighting fires.
In the Yarra Ranges, burning off for fuel reduction is allowed from Monday-Saturday, 8am-6pm in rural areas, and on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8am-6pm in Residential Bushland areas.
Capt Martin and Mr Ellis said the season ahead was uncertain for the Yarra Ranges, due to recent wet weather.
“We have a lot of undergrowth growth, of course – we’ve had a lot of rain, so we’ve got a lot of undergrowth,” Mr Ellis said.
“The potential is there for a bad season, if everything goes wrong, but if it stays wet, we’ll have a lovely season and everything will be beautiful.
“If it stops and it gets dry and it gets terrible, anything could happen.”
For more information about burning off, visit www.yarraranges.vic.gov.au. For information about the Fire Danger Period, preparing properties and fire plans, visit www.cfa.vic.gov.au.
