Fire Danger Period ends for Geelong region

THE Fire Danger Period (FDP) for this summer across the Geelong region officially finished this week.

As of 1am on Tuesday, the restrictions on the use of fire in the community were lifted in the City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast and Colac Otway Shires and the Borough of Queenscliffe, as well as in the municipalities of Glenelg, Moyne, Southern Grampians, Corangamite and Warrnambool City.

CFA assistant chief officer for the south-west region Rohan Luke said that although the FDP had come to an end, it was important to remain vigilant.

“Residents that wish to conduct burn-offs on their private properties need to follow some basic rules, register your burn-offs first and foremost, check weather conditions as well as monitor the wind, and follow local council laws and regulations.

Mr Luke also emphasised the importance of communication.

“It is important that as well as registering your burn-offs with the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA), you are alerting your neighbours that they may see smoke on the set dates.”

“What we’d like to avoid is our CFA crews responding to false alarms, and by registering your burn off any reports of smoke or fire will be cross-checked with the burn off register to prevent a potential waste of resources.

“In taking CFA crews away from real emergencies, false alarms can increase the risk to the community and can be very frustrating for our crews.”

Landowners can register their burn-off with ESTA by phoning 1800 668 511 or emailing [email protected].

Mr Luke said that when registering a burn-off by phone or email, people should be prepared to give some basic information including location, date, expected start and finish times, estimated size, and what they intended to burn.

“The burn off line is very easy to use – the operators are friendly, and prompt you by asking the key questions.

“When conducting burn-offs, remain alert and always have resources on hand to extinguish the fire.”