The fire danger period (FDP) has been extended and will now finish at 1.00am on Monday 13 May in the following municipalities;
- Ballarat City Council
- Hepburn Shire Council
- Moorabool Shire Council
- Golden Plains Shire Council
District 15 Operations Manager Brett Boatman emphasised that although the FDP is coming to an end in some areas, it is important to remain vigilant.
OM Boatman stated fire restrictions have been extended in District 15 until 1.00am on 13 May and that a zero tolerance policy will continue to be enforced for people responsible for illegal fires. He reminded residents that burning off is prohibited without a written permit while the Fire Danger Period is in place.
“Once we move out of the Fire Danger Period in a few weeks’ time, 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 and monitor the wind, and follow local council laws and regulations.”
OM Boatman also highlighted the need for landowners to communicate with authorities and neighbours.
“As well as registering your burn-offs with ESTA, you need to alert your neighbours to the fact that they may see smoke on the set dates.”
“It’s extremely annoying when CFA crews are forced to waste resources responding to false alarms because people are not registering their burn-offs.
“By registering your burn-off, when somebody reports that they’ve spotted smoke, the incident will be cross-checked with the burn-off register and prevent an angry CFA crew showing up on your door.”
“False alarms take crews away from family, friends, work and other potential emergencies.”
