Fire risk looms large in valley
by David Claridge
EACH YEAR, as summer approaches, the question is asked how bad can the bushfire season get this time?
According to the Brigade Chief of Deloraine Fire Station, Dan Watson, people need to refresh themselves on how to protect themselves and their properties in the event of something terrible happening.
“This year, October and the first week of November were very busy for Deloraine and for the rest of the brigades in the Western Tiers Group,” he said.
“At Deloraine, we normally have one to two call outs per week, but we were doing on average two call outs per three days.
“We have had a drier than normal few months, but all the advice we are getting from the people in the know is that this year will be no different for the Meander Valley area than from other years.
“There are a lot of very wise landowners out here that understand and respect fire in the wild and I think that helps everyone stay safe every summer.
“Most of the fire fighters that work in the Meander Valley region are volunteers who have other jobs and of course families that they put on hold to be available to attend fires around the state during the summer.
“I would like to thank all the volunteers from our local brigades for all their hard work they do and for all the time they give up for training and call outs,” Mr Watson said.
“Also, for the people who want to use fire outdoors, please register your fire. There’s a fair chance you will save a brigade from being called out when not needed as you might know your fire is safe but someone that can see your smoke may not and call 000 to report what they believe is a fire emergency.
“By calling 1800 000 699 you can register a burn and get a permit if needed.”
The Tasmania Fire Service website www.fire.tas.gov.au has more information and will provide updates on any bushfires in the region as they progress.
