Get ready for bushfire season

Tasmanian Fire Service puts Meander Valley residents on alert

Minister Mark Shelton with new aerial firefighting equipment for rescuing people or tackling blazes in tall buildings. Photo supplied

THE TASMANIAN Fire Service has reminded Meander Valley residents to prepare for summer bushfires by cleaning up their properties and taking five minutes to make a fire plan.

TFS manager of bushfire risk mitigation, Chris Collins, said while this summer is predicted to have ‘normal fire season potential’, this still means the possibility of two or three significant bushfires across the State.

‘Spring and early summer rainfall has promoted significant growth in fine fuels, such as grasses. Once these fuels cure in the new year, they may contribute to an increased fire potential’, he said.

‘The risk modelling undertaken by the Tasmania Fire Service indicates that Meander Valley, like all municipal areas in Tasmania, is at risk from bushfire.’

TFS group officer Errol Gleeson, who has responsibility for fire brigades in Mole Creek, Chudleigh, Elizabeth Town, Deloraine, Golden Valley and Meander, said it’s essential that residents in risk areas take five minutes to plan what they will do if they are threatened by a bushfire.

‘People should decide if they will stay and defend their property or leave. And if they leave, they need to have decided where to go and what they will take with them’, he said.

‘Residents need to be aware they need to be prepared and that fire is their enemy.

‘A lot of people sit back and think it won’t happen to them. Then bang! A fire is upon them and it’s too late.’

The government has bumped up the state’s firefighting capacity with $2.1m in the 2020–21 budget to establish firefighting teams capable of being winched into remote area fire grounds.

Two five-person, winch capable teams are available for deployment now and 25 Parks and Wildlife Service firefighting staff have volunteered to train to do the work.

In addition, 11 aircraft will be located in Launceston and Hobart so they can respond to fires quickly around the State. The seven helicopters and four fixed wing aircraft include a mix of firebombing, air supervision and aerial intelligence gathering aircraft, taking the total firefighting aircraft available in Tasmania to 28. This will ensure a rapid response to bushfires that do start, keeping fires small until ground crews arrive.

And at a cost of $3.75m the government has bought three aerial firefighting appliances equipped with an aerial boom and platform. These will raise firefighters to heights to enable them to rescue people or to tackle blazes in tall buildings.

Mr Gleeson said at this stage this bushfire season appeared not to be as dangerous as previous seasons because growth hadn’t dried out quickly.

‘We’ve still got a chance to be well prepared.’

He recommended that residents needing advice on how best to prepare themselves and their properties speak to their local brigade. He said posters and leaflets on the subject had been distributed by brigades.

Mr Collins said, ‘It is vitally important that Tasmanians prepare themselves and their property for bushfire every fire season, and this includes residents of the Meander Valley.

‘The mitigation of bush- fire risk is truly a collective responsibility.’