The CFA, Vic Roads and municipalities have begun work to reduce the risk of fire ahead of the upcoming fire season.
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CFA District 5 operations manager Richard Bourke, which includes Southern Grampians and Moyne shires and Warrnambool City Council, said the fire season was yet to be declared in the district.
Mr Bourke said grass growth had been “prolific” across the district which was typical of this time of year.
He said crews would continue to assess the climatic conditions and grass on a weekly basis. “At the moment it’s green,” Mr Bourke said. “We’ve had lots of growth and the fire season hasn’t come in yet,” he said.
“The fire season is startling to come in in those districts north of district 5, north of Hamilton. The anticipation is the northern part of the district may start to have fire restrictions coming in the next four or five weeks. That’s dependent on the climatic conditions and the growth of the grass from week to week.”
He said once the grass dried off, the CFA would work with the brigades and the municipalities to treat the roadsides to create strategic fire breaks.
A Warrnambool City Council spokesman said 320 fire prevention notices had been issued to property owners. Some were asked to mow all the grass on their properties, while others were asked to create a firebreak.
The issuing of fire prevention notices ensures property owners carry out the necessary fire prevention measures to reduce the risk of fire threatening both themselves and their community.
Those issued with notices in Warrnambool have until December 11 to clear their properties before a second round of inspections will be carried out. “Given the wet and mild conditions of recent weeks it is possible property owners may have to cut their grass twice this fire season,” the spokesman said.
A Moyne Shire spokesman said local laws officers began fire inspections on November 6 to detect fire hazards such as long grass, rubbish and other flammable materials.
He said fire prevention notices would be issued to property owners where hazards posed a risk to life or property. “Doing one clean-up before the fire season is just not enough,” the spokesman said. “Every property owner is obliged to do their bit to help reduce the risk of fire in Moyne this summer and it is important to start now before the hot weather sets in.”
Corangamite Shire has also begun clearing roadsides with crews working from the north of the shire to the south. Work at Skipton has been completed with crews slashing grass in Terang and Camperdown this week, before finishing in Port Campbell.