As summer approaches, Golden Plains Shire Council is taking steps to help ensure the community is prepared for the upcoming fire season.
Council will commence its annual property fire hazard inspections from Monday 1 November, and all residents are reminded to ensure any hazard reduction works are completed.
To ensure a property is fire ready, residents or landowners must:
- Cut grass to a maximum height of 300 millimetres during the non-fire season, and then to a maximum height of 100 millimetres during the Fire Danger Period, or as directed under a Fire Prevention Notice
- On properties more than two hectares, ensure grass is maintained to no higher than 100mm up to a minimum of 20 metres from the house or outbuilding
- Remove any flammable material around the home, including cleaning out gutters
- Clear dead undergrowth and fallen branches from around the home
- Ensure any firewood is stored well away from the house or outbuildings
- Trim excess vegetation along driveways
- Clearly number the property so that it can be easily found by Emergency Services
For more information on Fire Hazard Inspections and Notices, visit goldenplains.vic.gov.au/fire.
All Victorian Councils must conduct fire hazard inspections of private property across the entire municipality. This includes issuing Fire Prevention Notices that specify what works are required to remove the fire hazard by Sunday 5 December 2021.
Council will undertake second round inspections from 6 December and, if works have not been conducted or the owner has not applied for an extension or exemption, Council may issue a $1,817 infringement notice to the property owner and arrange a contractor to attend and slash the property at an additional cost.
Golden Plains Shire Mayor Helena Kirby said Council is now undertaking fire prevention works on Council-managed roads and sites, all residents and landowners need to work together to ensure Golden Plains Shire is fire ready.
“To ensure our communities are fire ready, we need to reduce fine fuels on private properties, which is the main driver of fire intensity and spread. Every resident and property owner has a role to play in protecting the community during the fire season. With rain and cool weather so far this spring, there is significant green growth, and we encourage all property owners to take the next two weeks to prepare their property prior to fire hazard inspection from 1 November.
“Council will begin its own fire prevention works, commencing the annual roadside slashing program of all sealed roads and strategic fire breaks to reduce fuel loads. This year, Council will also be trialling a program to slash roadside growth on suitable unsealed roads, and it’s anticipated another 470kms of roadsides will be slashed in the lead up to the Christmas period.”