Fire is not rare sight on Cape York, but Rural Fire Service Queensland is urging residents to stay vigilant this upcoming bushfire season. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
With bushfire season hot on our heels, Rural Fire Service Queensland (RFSQ) is urging the Cape York community to be prepared, act responsibly and keep each other safe.
Even though year-round hazard reduction burns and mitigation works mean fire is not a rare sight for Cape York locals, RFSQ inspector Chris Wegger said residents should still remain vigilant.
“Bushfire season is fast approaching, and now is the time for landholders to ensure they are prepared,” he said.
“Every year, we’re slowly seeing that ingress of fire impacting properties and remote structures.
“Bushfires can affect anyone, anywhere in Queensland; all residents should be prepared for a bushfire, and hazard reduction burns are just one way to mitigate bushfire risk.”
Mr Wegger stressed the importance of obtaining permits for safely lighting and managing fires that covered more than two metres of surface area.
He said two major conditions of the permits were checking the Bureau of Meteorology weather forecast and ensuring there were enough capable persons to manage the fire lit.
“This might seem bizarre when people have a lot of areas, like in Cape York, that are hundreds of square kilometres, but if you’re planning on conducting a burn greater than two metres in any direction, you need to obtain a permit to light fires,” he said.
“For fires that require a permit, individuals will not incur any liability under the common act of law for any loss or injury or damage by the fire, provided that they have complied with the conditions and directions of the permit, and they haven’t acted recklessly or maliciously.”
In case of an out-of-control fire, Mr Wegger said community members should call triple zero, but said prevention and knowing what to do was key, especially in a remote area like the Cape.
“A fire can start 100km from anywhere there is mobile communications, so by the time the occupant gets back to somewhere they can call triple zero and report the fire, the fire could have travelled a couple hundred kilometres,” he said.
“Another thing for landholders to do is to go on the NAFI (Northern Australian Fire Information) website, and you can set up a hotspot notification on your property.”
