The ACT’s 2021-22 bushfire season officially launched yesterday morning, however it’s not bushfires that authorities are immediately concerned about.
For a second year in a row, higher levels of rainfall have made Canberra’s grasses green, lush and long as we head into summer.
There is an expectation these grasses will dry over the summer months, thereby posing a high risk of grassfires.
“All our dams are full, our soil has got a very good moisture content, which means while the Territory is currently green, we’ve seen significant grass growth; this will be our biggest risk this fire season,” ACT Rural Fire Service (ACTRFS) Chief Officer Rohan Scott said this morning.
Chief Officer Scott urged the community to maintain a level of awareness so as not to engage in dangerous activities that can provoke grassfires like grinding, welding and driving vehicles with catalytic converters through cured long grass, uncontrolled campfires, and fireworks.
“If the community can work with us whilst we’ve got a lot of grass, we won’t have the fires if you don’t do those,” he said.
Storm season is also on the horizon, but unfortunately lightning can’t be controlled or stopped.
“If we can stop everything else, the number of fires will dramatically reduce.”
The ACTRFS’s message to Canberrans is for everyone to prepare themselves and their properties for the bushfire and storm seasons ahead.
Properties can be prepared by cleaning all flammable combustibles, cleaning the gutters, and ensuring you’ve got a hose capable of reaching all areas of your property.
People are also encouraged to prepare a survival pack with clothes, essential personal documents, and any necessary medications.
Rural landowners can also do their bit by keeping their property prepared year-round to protect the broader community from the risk of fire.
“Most of the rural properties surround the urban interface, which then they act as a buffer which then stops the transition and allows us easy suppression activities for the fires coming out of any forested areas,” Chief Officer Scott said.
Emergency Services ‘well placed’
ACT Emergency Services Agency (ACTESA) Commissioner Georgeina Whelan said the Agency has seamlessly implemented their twelve-month preparedness cycle, meaning they are well placed for the season ahead.
That process has seen the Parks and Conservation department doing hazard reduction by way of slashing, grazing, chemical treatments, and burns where possible due to favourable weather conditions.
Chief Officer Scott felt confident with both the “very good retention rates” and high rates of members engaging in upskilling over the off season, particularly given the hurdles the pandemic has placed upon them.
He was proud to say a lot of women have joined the Service, with a “very active” female leadership group established.
The Service has established monitoring systems for lightning strikes, weekly grass growth and fuel loads, while all ACTRFS brigades have undergone incident management training via desktop exercises.
During lockdown, ACTRFS crew members lent a helping hand delivering food and IT hardware for schooling, and conducting compliance checks.
ACTRFS enters the bushfire season with 529 active firefighters, at least 50 per cent of whom underwent some form of upskilling.
“It’s a great opportunity for our members to not just increase their skillsets but also, that’s another skill they can give to the community, and it shows their resilience to their online training during COVID,” Chief Officer Scott said.
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