June 14, 2017
Firefighters will be out in force in the coming weeks as the region enters a critical phase in the lead-up to bushfire season.
Rural Fire Service (RFS) Burnett Area Director Andrew Marnie said July would be an important time to prepare the South Burnett for the next bushfire season, which begins in August.
Mr Marnie said the RFS would be working with its partner agencies to carry out targeted hazard reduction burns in bushfire-prone localities.
Operation Cool Burn, which is run every year, is a multi-agency program to reduce bushfire risks across Queensland.
“The RFS has identified the next four to six weeks as a key period to ensure we can complete scheduled hazard reduction burns before the bushfire season begins,” Mr Marnie said.
“It is important we carry out these activities now to remove fuel loads from the landscape and reduce the risk of a severe bushfire starting or spreading during bushfire season.
“Residents may notice smoke in the air between now and August, so they should close their windows and doors and keep their medications close by if they suffer from a respiratory condition.”
Mr Marnie’s comments came amid a rise in the number of bushfires across the South Burnett in recent years.
“Season-to-season we continue to notice an increase in the number and severity of bushfires throughout the Burnett,” he said.
“In 2016 the region experienced one of its lengthiest bushfire seasons in the past decade, lasting four months longer than usual.
“Just last year, we recorded a 22 per cent increase in the number of bushfires compared to 2015, which itself recorded an increase compared to 2014.”
Mr Marnie said the shift toward longer and more severe bushfires put responsibility on residents to prepare themselves, their families and properties for bushfire season.
“Firefighters are out there right now doing their best to prevent bushfires from occurring, but they cannot do it alone,” he said.
“Bushfire prevention is a community effort, so the RFS needs residents to look at what they can do to help us ahead of bushfire season.
“It could be something as simple as obtaining a permit to conduct a burn, mowing the lawn to keep the grass low, clearing dead leaves from the gutter and removing flammable materials surrounding the property.
“All of these steps can greatly reduce the chance of a bushfire igniting and may make a real difference to how bushfire season affects the region this year.”
