A season of high danger comes to a close

ONWFORTYONE’S fire season has officially concluded, marked by notably drier conditions and an increased number of very high fire danger days.

OneFortyOne Green Triangle Forests General Manager, Deon Kriek, commended the efforts of all crews and highlighted the collaboration between industry brigades, the Country Fire Service (CFS), and the Country Fire Authority (CFA).

“The cooperation and readiness of our fire crews was excellent throughout this challenging season,” Deon said.

“Collaboration with the CFS, CFA, and industry brigades has been vital in managing risk throughout the season and minimised the impact of the fires we did have.”

“The entire crew’s commitment to working together to protecting the forest and the broader community should be acknowledged.”

The new Penola fire tower was finished ready for the season’s start.

“Our fire tower operators were crucial in detecting and monitoring fires early,” Deon said.

“They were also supported by the Green Triangle Fire Alliance’s AI fire detection cameras, which operated around the clock.”

Reflecting on the season, Deon noted the region experienced significantly drier conditions than average, which elevated the risk and severity of fires.

“There were more very high fire danger days compared to the average,” Deon said.

“OneFortyOne fire crews were on standby for 132 days, a substantial increase from the average of 88 days.”

“During this time, we responded to 66 fires in our forests and other areas across the region.”

“Despite the high number of fires, less than 2 hectares of OneFortyOne forests were impacted, and most importantly our people went home safe and well.”

To celebrate the end of the fire season, an event was held in Mount Gambier last week, bringing the fire crew back together.

“The end of season wrap up was a great chance to get everyone back together, reflect, and recognise the work of all crews over what was a challenging season,” Deon said.

Fire management activity including crew training exercises, prescribed burning, and fire break maintenance will continue throughout the year.