BE PREPARED
Published Date: 24 Nov 2015
Summary
Farmers and landholders across New South Wales are being urged to use commonsense this coming bushfire and harvest season.
View the Western Magazine story
By Taylor Jurd
NSW Rural Fire Service Orana team manager Superintendent Lyndon Wieland said it was important farmers took precautionary measures.
NSW Rural Fire Service Orana team manager Superintendent Lyndon Wieland said it was important farmers took precautionary measures. PHOTO: HANNAH SOOLE
“Although we’ve had recent rain that has certainly dampened things, these oncoming hot days and wind bring things back to square one,” he said.
“It can dry things out very quickly.
“In a dry stubble paddock it can make things very volatile and easy to ignite.”
Superintendent Wieland said as a precautionary method, farmers should contain livestock in a well-grazed area.
“Put the livestock in a sprayed paddock, that way a wildfire won’t easily rush through and burn the livestock,” he said.
During harvesting Superintendent Wieland said farmers should have a fire fighting unit with them at all times.
He said farm machinery such as welders could easily start a fire due to the sparks.
“Some people don’t realise how easy it is to start a fire using a welder,” Superintendent Wieland said.
“If farmers do need to use a welder, they should definitely do it earlier in the morning, when it is cooler and damper.
“It can make life much easier.”
Superintendent Wieland said farmers should avoid riding vehicles such as quad bikes and motor bikes through long vegetation.
“If they’ve got to muster the sheep or cattle, the safest thing would be to do it first thing in the morning,” he said.
“It’s all the commonsense things that can be applied.”
Superintendent Wieland said people needed a permit to light fires and permits could be obtained at a local RFS.
“The permit officer has the right to refuse the permit application if there is bad weather coming or there isn’t enough fire fighting volunteers,” he said.
“They’ll look at the situation and the risks.”
Last week the Forestry Corporation of NSW invested $1 million to upgrade more than 30 fire towers in state forests across NSW to protect local communities against wildfires.
The program was jointly funded by Forestry Corporation and the NSW Rural Fire Service Bush Fire Risk Mitigation and Resilience Grants Program.
Chief Forester Ross Dickson said since July 2014, fire towers had been upgraded from as far north as Yabbra State Forest, near Queensland, to Timbillica State Forest, south NSW, and west to Baradine State Forest.
“Upgraded lightning protection to the fire towers, refurbished cabins and improved access to the platforms, has enhanced the safety of fire tower operators,” he said.
Forestry Corporation’s Bathurst-based Stewardship and Fire manager Dan Kirby said the completion of the fire tower improvement program coincided with the bush fire danger period, generally from October to March. Mr Kirby said with the forest environment constantly changing from varying weather conditions, lightning storms and dust from machinery and forest traffic, the fire towers were important to assist with the rapid detection of smoke, fire and early warning signs.
“Through our network of fire towers located across state forests in the central west NSW, staff can determine the location of smoke and call firefighting personnel to the fire,” he said.
