The City of
Greater Geelong has a clear role in the shared task of bushfire prevention and
emergency management.
To support the
Victorian Government and emergency services, we have extensive measures and
initiatives to help prevent and prepare for fire.
While state
agencies assume control during emergency responses, we take a strategic,
proactive approach to reduce risks and protect our community.
Some of this
annual work includes:
Fire
prevention notices:
As of
mid-January, we have issued 1505 Fire Prevention Notices on land that is deemed
a fire risk.
If the owner fails to respond, we hire a contractor to carry out
the work.
The City’s
annual property inspection program begins early November.
Starting in the
municipality’s northern areas, our team aims to ensure as much of the grass is
removed before the total curing of grasses.
Every three
years, additional resources are used to visually inspect every property in
Greater Geelong.
Permits to
burn:
Outside of the
fire season, we issue permits to burn for rural and peri-urban properties.
This allows
residents to burn accumulated branches and tree limbs prior to the fire season,
removing fuel from the environment.
We issued 1723
permits to burn in 2019.
Roadside
management:
The City is
responsible for maintaining roadsides along council-owned roads.
We work to
reduce the volume of roadside material without negatively impacting on our
native plants and animals that rely on these areas for habitat.
Slashing on
more than 1100 kilometres of roadside begins in late Spring and is finished
before Christmas.
We carry out
inspections in January and re-slash as needed.
Work includes
mowing exotic grasses, removing woody weed in protected native vegetation and
pruning.
This is done to
maintain clear sight lines for motorists and to reduce the fire risk.
