Bush Fire Information

IN CASE OF FIRE RING 000

Restricted and prohibited burning periods

Restricted

15th February to 31st March - Permit Required

19th September to 31st October - Permit Required

Prohibited

1st November - 14th February - No burning allowed including Campfires

Restricted and Burning periods maybe extended at the discretion of the Council, and/or Chief Bush Fire Control Officer.

Please check with your Fire Control Officer to ascertain whether a permit is required before burning.

Bush Fire Permits

No permits shall be issued to set fire to bush during the prohibited burning period except for reasons as specified under the Bush Fires Act.

Fire Control Officers

Fire Control Officers

General Information

Fire Breaks

All Owners and/or Occupiers of Land within the Shire of Kondinin are guided by the Bush Fires Act 1954.

Pursuant to the powers contained in Section 33 of the above Act, you are hereby required on or before 31st October and thereafter up to and including 15th March to have a 3 metre firebreak clear of all inflammable material on all rural and townsite land owned or occupied by you:

  1. Immediately inside all external boundaries of the land; and
  2. Immediately surrounding any part of land used for crop; and
  3. Parallel to and within 100 metres of the perimeter of all buildings, haystacks and fuel ramps situated on the land; and
  4. Immediately surrounding any drum or drums or other receptacles situated on the land which are normally used for the storage of fuel, whether they contain fuel or not, provided that the firebreak required to comply with this paragraph only shall be not less than 5 metres wide; and
  5. Immediately inside land on which bush has been bulldozed, chained or prepared in any similar manner for clearing by burning (whether you intend to burn the bush or not); provided that the firebreak required to comply with this paragraph only shall be not less than 7 metres wide. Where the land is prepared for clearing by burning after 19th September 2006 you shall provide the firebreak immediately.

Firebreak Variation

If it is considered by the owner or occupier of the land that it is impractical to clear firebreaks to comply with this notice due to soil erosion, the spread of salinity or for any other reason, a request for a variation may be made to the Council not later than the 1 September of each year.

Such a request must be in writing and include a detailed farm plan showing the proposed location of firebreaks or of the alterative fire protection methods to be used. If such a variation is not approved then the landowner shall comply with the requirements of this notice.

If it is considered to be impractical for any reasons to clear firebreaks as required by this notice, you may apply to Council or its duly authorised officer for permission to provide firebreaks in alternative positions on the land. If the Council, or its duly authorised officer does not grant permission, you shall comply with the requirements of this notice. The penalty for failing to comply with this notice is a fine not exceeding $5000.00 and a person in default is also liable, whether prosecuted or not, to pay the cost of performing the work directed in this notice if it is not carried out by the owner or occupier by the date required by this notice. If the requirements of this notice are carried out by burning, such burning must be in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Bush Fires Act.

Chemical usage on road reserves

An application to use chemicals on road reserves for firebreak protection must be submitted to the Chief Executive Officer for approval.

Burning of roadside vegetation

No roadside burning is allowed by any persons within the Shire without the approval of the Council. Anybody who is found to have burnt any roadside vegetation or reserve vested in the Shire, either deliberately, by neglect or carelessness as per the Bush Fires Act 1954, may be made to pay the cost of spraying or re-vegetating the area.

Burning in the townsite

No fires in large open areas are to be lit in the townsite unless a town Fire Control Officer is advised of the intention to burn.

Clearing of Town Lots

Owners of town blocks can arrange, through the Shire Offices, to have vacant blocks sprayed, slashed, grazed or burnt to clear town lots. Phone the Shire Office on 9889 1006 for further information.

Burning on Sundays and Public Holidays

From the start of the restricted burning time to the end of Easter, no person is allowed to light a fire on a Sunday or Public Holiday.

Stubble Burning

Stubble burning, subject to normal permit, will be allowed on Sundays after 1st March.

Attending Fires

If you attend a fire as a firefighter you should wear boots and overalls or long sleeved shirt and long trousers (non flammable cotton type).

FCO's: please ensure all persons likely to attend fires over 16 years of age are registered as brigade members. Non-brigade members have to be authorised to attend a fire by the FCO in charge.

This is necessary to be covered by Bushfire Insurance.

Bushfire Membership Application

Bushfire Membership Application Form

IMPORTANT DFES INFORMATION

Bushfire Preparedness Material, the DFES Prepare Act Survive publication and direct links to the DFES publications and Fact Sheets updated to the following: www.dfes.wa.gov.au 

This bushfire season Fire Chat will be the new ‘branding umbrella’ for Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) community engagement and communications around bushfire.  This will be supported by the Are You Ready Campaign. Fire Chat replaces DFES previous bushfire communications known as Prepare. Act. Survive.

After people have answered the three questions above, they are then directed to take the next step, which is to seek out their Bushfire Preparation Toolkit.  The Toolkit is available in hard copy but can also be downloaded at www.dfes.wa.gov.au   Fact Sheets with further bushfire preparedness information can also be found on the website. 

For more information please contact us.