Hot season coming up
IT LOOKS like we’re in for a tough fire season and farmers are set to be at the forefront of it.
Rural Fire Brigade south-west regional manager Tony Johnstone said firefighters across the state were busy all weekend responding to fires, some sparked by machinery and others starting from farm burn-off piles thought to have been extinguished a month ago.
He said it was important for farmers to be very aware while out in the paddocks this season.
“Look, it has been a very dry winter and, as people know, when we have a dry winter we end up with an early fire season,” he said.
“The conditions we’ve had over the weekend have been very dry and windy.
“It’s the wind and the dryness that actually causes it and probably some people haven’t been aware because it’s cooler.
“People think if it’s cooler, nothing is going to happen.”
He said one issue was timber stacks left over from farmers who had tried to do the right thing in reducing fire fuel on their properties ahead of the season’s start.
“They’ve burned off before the season a month ago, but with the wind and a spark or two it can get out of control.
“People need to go back and check those piles to make sure they’re not still hot.”
He said another big area to consider was vehicle maintenance, whether it was making sure tractors and mowers were clean or checking the bearings on older machinery.
“The grass is just exceptionally dry for this time of year because we haven’t had any rain,” Mr Johnstone said.
“Some graziers are holding onto their grass because they know it’s going to be a dry season.
“We’ve had one of those fires this weekend when someone decided to mow around midday, and the heat of the machine cutting grass and the grass being so dry, it started a fire.”
He encouraged people to mow early in the morning or later in the day, and also keep machinery clean and in good order.
He said it was also important to keep some water on hand in case a spark did ignite the grass.
It was also a good idea to get to know your neighbour, because sometimes it could take a fair while for the nearest rural fire crew to arrive and in those cases, your neighbour’s assistance would be vital.
“If we get very busy, we can’t guarantee we can get to every property,” Mr Johnstone said.
“If they can help us, we can help them.
“Some volunteers have to travel and hour or an hour-and-a-half to get to a fire.”
Calling Triple Zero was also very important to ensure the right response, but Mr Johnstone said many people were often guilty of trying to call the local station or their mate in the rural fire brigade instead.
He said calling the emergency number was a much better way to ensure a prompt response and it was important to provide as much information as possible about the fire’s location and type, even including the colour of the smoke.