With the upcoming fire season fast approaching and the CFA declaring that the Fire Danger Period for Golden Plains Shire will commence at 1am on Monday 20 November 2023, Council encourages all residents to begin preparing their property before the Fire Hazard Inspection Program begins on Monday 13 November 2023.
Owners of land in Golden Plains Shire where grass is close to dwellings or sheds are required to keep grass on their properties cut to a maximum height of 100 millimetres during the Fire Danger Period.
Properties deemed to be a high fire risk, such as from long, uncut grass will be issued with a Fire Prevention Notice from Monday 13 November 2023. Fire Prevention Notices will be issued to all owners listed on the title of the property. In the first round of notices, owners will be required to have works completed by Sunday 10 December 2023.
Residents who are not able to meet the deadline are encouraged to contact Council via email at [email protected] to request an extension of time. Any request must include an explanation of why extra time is needed.
Residents who intend to have stock on their land must inform Council via email to [email protected] if they have received a Fire Prevention Notice. Council may request slashing around structures and the boundary in these situations.
If the works listed on the Fire Prevention Notice are not completed and no correspondence is received, Council may undertake fire hazard reduction works by engaging a contractor. Council will invoice the landholder with these costs.
Failure to undertake the works listed on the Fire Prevention Notice may also result in an Infringement Notice of $1,923.
Golden Plains Shire Mayor Cr Brett Cunningham encouraged residents to prepare their property this fire season.
We all have an important responsibility to help reduce the risk of fire to our own properties and the entire community this fire season, Cr Cunningham said.
With the warmer weather approaching and the announcement of El Nino, I remind all residents of the importance of fire safety heading into this time and encourage everyone to be informed and stay up to date.
Under State Government legislation, Council must conduct fire hazard inspections on private property. This includes issuing Fire Prevention Notices and arranging contractors to slash non-compliant private property.
Council engages contractors to conduct roadside slashing of all of Council’s sealed roads and strategic fire breaks, which have been approved by the CFA. Council also conducts burning of selected reserves to remove the fire hazard and for ecological purposes.
For more information, contact Council’s Community Safety team at [email protected] or call 5220 7111.