With the fire danger period looming, the CFA has asked residents to help out by registering their burn-offs.
WITH warmer weather kicking in today the CFA has reminded south-west residents to register burn-offs.
The mercury is expected to reach 28 in Warrnambool and Colac today, 29 in Hamilton and 26 in Port Fairy.
The CFA has declared that the fire danger period will begin from 1am on Thursday for Corangamite and Colac Otway shire councils.
The fire danger period means fires cannot be lit in the open air without a written permit from the CFA or from a municipal fire prevention officer. Since Saturday, the CFA has responded to more than 35 burn-off related calls across the state, some of which were out of control and others that turned out to be false alarms.
CFA state duty officer Craig Brownlie said if people registered their burn-offs, the CFA knew what was happening in their areas, which was helpful when brigades were being dispatched to jobs.
“It reduces the chances of CFA being called out to a false alarm when the public calls about a fire they have seen,” he said.
“The community needs to understand that, for the most part, we’re talking about volunteers who have to leave their work or spend time away from their family by responding to false alarms.”
Barwon South West regional director Bob Barry said the CFA looked to the community to do the right thing by their family and neighbours and follow the fire restrictions that were in place throughout the fire danger period.
“Preventing fires is something that every member of the community should see as their responsibility,” he said.
To find out more about getting ready for the fire season, visit cfa.vic.gov.au or call 1800 240 667.
