Did You Know - Fire Season Preparation

Published on 23 September 2026

DYK - Fire Season Preparation - tile.png

Is Your Property Ready For The Fire Season?

Simple preparation can make a major difference during a bushfire or grassfire.  Do not wait for a high fire danger day before you take action.  Prepare now and continue maintaining your property in the lead up to and during the fire danger period.

Complete the following tasks during early spring:

  • Mow laws, slash overgrown grass.
  • Clear gutters by removing leaves and other debris.
  • Remove dry vegetation, including twigs, loose bark and dead plant material.
  • Prune shrubs and cut back overhanging branches over buildings from trees
  • Keep fuels, gas bottles, paints and chemicals, as well as wood piles and other combustible materials safety away from your home.
  • Reduce places where embers could enter your home – seal gaps, vents, eaves, roof spaces and underfloor areas.
  • Check water supplies and hoses are ready for use and can reach the areas they need to.

If you have not been maintaining your property during winter, you will likely need to do a big cleanup before you can start your bushfire preparations.  Make a schedule by breaking the tasks into a list of smaller jobs.  You may want to hire some help, or ask friends and family for assistance.

For further information on property preparation, please visit Preparing For Bushfire Season - CFA website.

 

Careful garden design can also help to protect a home from bushfire.  The choice of plants and landscaping materials with low flammability, and their strategic arrangement, can reduce the chance of suffering extreme property damage and loss during a fire.  Garden design best-practice tips are:

  • Reduce the amount of vegetation within 10 metres of your home.
  • Keep clumped garden beds and plantings separate from one another.
  • Separate garden beds with paths made from material like gravel, clay or pebbles.

For further information on preventative garden design, please visit Designing A Garden - CFA website.

Are You Planning To Burn Off?

Burning off vegetation is generally permitted outside of the Fire Danger Period, subject to weather conditions.  A permit from the Country Fire Authority (CFA) is required for all burn offs during the Fire Danger Period.  Never assume burning off is permitted simply because the conditions appear safe – check with the CFA before you burn.

Significant fines apply for having a burn off without a permit or during a Total Fire Ban declaration.

For further information on burn offs, please visit Burning Off - CFA website. 

Green Waste Disposal Is FREE!

Do not burn green waste if you do not need to.  Green waste is free for residents to dispose of at transfer stations within Yarriambiack Shire.  Free disposal is limited to a residential quantity of 1 cubic metre per drop-off – this offer is not available to businesses or commercial entities.

For more information on our transfer stations, please visit Transfer Stations - YSC website.

Be Ready.  Stay Informed.  Have A Plan.

Everyone needs to be prepared for a bushfire or grassfire.  A prepared plan helps everyone to think more clearly and act quickly during a fire emergency.  Leaving early during a fire emergency is the safety option to protect yourself and your loved ones.

Start your plan today!  Talk with your household and agree on what you will do.

There are 6 important considerations when making a plan:

  1. When will you leave?
  2. Where will you go?
  3. How will you get there?
  4. What will you take?
  5. Who will you tell?
  6. When will you return?

For more information and resources to prepare a fire plan, please visit Bushfire Plan - CFA website.

 

Stay up to date on the latest emergency information with VicEmergency.  VicEmergency is the central location for emergency warning and incident information in Victoria.

  • Visit the VicEmergency website - www.emergency.vic.gov.au
  • Call the VicEmergency Hotline - #1800 226 226
  • Download the VicEmergency App for iPhone or Andriod devices.

Create watch zones in the app to get notification about specific locations.

For more information about VicEmergency, please visit VicEmergency - CFA website.

 

Related Information

Tagged as:
Back to top