Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service (NTFRS) are reminding Territorians of the importance of obtaining a valid permit to burn and following the conditions of the permit before lighting any fires.
Deputy Chief Fire Officer Joshua Fischer said “Wet season weather conditions is no excuses for complacency when it comes to fire safety. Strict conditions relate to NTFRS issued permits to burn and infringements will be issued for non-compliant burns, which include;
- garden green waste only, no building or household waste allowed
- burn piles to be no larger than 5m x 5m and have cleared 4 metre wide fire breaks on all sides
- the property must comply with the Fire and Emergency Regulations 1996, specifically Part 2, Section 3 (1) Firebreaks
- the permitted burn must be monitored by a competent person over the age of 18 at all times until extinguished
- neighbours must be notified at least 48 hours before commencing a permit to burn and Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service (NTFRS) notified prior to ignition and at completion of burn
- each site should have sufficient resources to extinguish the fire if required
The NTFRS is aware of permit holders not notifying the Joint Emergency Services Communications Centre (JESCC) either prior to ignition or upon completion of the burn.
“Notifying the JESCC about your plans to conduct a burn-off prevents unnecessary fire brigade response. Callers to triple zero reporting an actual fire can then be advised that the fire is a planned permit burn. If the fire that the triple zero caller is reporting can’t be verified as a burn-off, the fire brigade will be notified.”
The NTFRS encourage all landholders to consider alternatives to burning wherever possible.
Failure to obtain a permit or adhere to the terms and conditions of a permit may result in an infringement up to the value of $628.00 + $40.00 levy
For more information go to NTFRS Permits to Burn
