FUEL loads in state forest and townsite bushland around Donnybrook will be reduced ahead of summer in a controlled burn starting again this week.
The burn commenced early last week, with around 150 hectares burned in areas including Mead, Bentley and Marmion streets.
The major part of the burn will cover about 2000 hectares. It had been was planned for later last week but was postponed until this week due to the weather.
The burn will start today and be carried out over the week, dependent on weather conditions.
DEC’s acting Blackwood district fire coordinator Meagan O’Connor said it was of a high priority for the department to get the burn going to protect the town before summer. “The shire and ourselves are a bit concerned about fuels around the townsite,” she said.
Miss O’Conner warned that while the boundaries of the burn area were safe, people should stay out of the burn site for up to two weeks, because there is a risk of hot spots and tree limbs falling.
Warnings that WA is facing its worst fire season in a decade have prompted South West MLC Adele Farina to express concerns about readiness for the bushfire season.
A Bushfire CRC Australia report warned heavy winter rains had increased grassland fuels to dangerous levels.
“With expected El Nino weather conditions and dangerous grassland fuel levels, the potential for spot fires to quickly get out of control and become major complex fires is very real,” Ms Farina said.
She commended the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) officers for their early start on prescribed burning. About 30,000 hectares of prescribed burns having been completed. However, with vast tracts of forest in the South West, the Government needed to immediately direct more funding to DEC so that critical preventative and mitigation measures could be implemented, Ms Farina said .
“Additional funding is also needed for improved training for bushfire officers and the employment of additional experienced bushfire officers,” she said.
She added: “The Government needs to assure the community that recent reports that the Forest Products Commission intends to axe 22 fixed-term contract staff and to make up to 40 staff redundant will not result in experienced bushfire officers losing their jobs.”
Ms Farina was also critical of the State Government’s extra fire prevention measures, including a State-wide early warning system, and legislation to ensure better management of resources and communication between agencies such as FESA and the DEC during a bushfire.
“Many towns in the South West region have poor, or no, mobile telephone coverage. The Government’s early warning system is of no comfort to these communities or the people living in rural areas of the region,” Ms Farina said.
“The Government needs to immediately introduce early warning systems that will be effective in these towns and right across the South West, or to immediately fund improvements to the mobile phone reception throughout the region.
“As for the Bushfire Amendment Bill, the Minister for Emergency Services needs to explain how the proposed measures will achieve better resource management and communication between agencies.”
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