SIX free workshops will run in April and May to help residents reduce fuel loads on their properties this winter.
Mundaring Shire chief executive Jonathan Throssell said the workshops would begin on Sunday, April 23 and run for six consecutive Sundays.
Shire officers and local volunteer brigade members will teach residents how to reduce fuel loads safely on their properties through a number of methods, including burning.
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READ NOWMr Throssell said it was important residents managed fuel loads.
“Reducing fuel loads during the cooler months assists local brigades in the warmer months when fire is such a threat to our area,” he said.
“Residents who register to take part in a workshop will learn how to assess fuel loads, prepare a property and determine when and how to burn.”
Peter Holland and Rosemary Greenham were among dozens of residents who had previously participated in the workshops.
The couple took part in 2014 and said the knowledge they acquired had been helpful in managing their property since.
“We learnt about the correct tools and techniques to use and it gave us the confidence to implement our own winter burning regime,” Mr Holland said.
“If there was a significant fire near our property we believe there is a good chance we would come out the other side of it, and that firefighters would be better placed to help us defend (our property) because we’d already done the base work.
“Some people are scared to approach the Shire because they fear they might get told-off for things or get a fine but we found the opposite – the help was invaluable and gave us the confidence to tackle burning in areas that hadn’t been touched for many years.”
For residents uncomfortable about burning off, the Shire’s transfer stations offer an alternative means of disposing of green waste at no cost.
Expressions of interest for the free burning workshops are open and close at 5pm on May 19.
To register, visit ‘public notices’ on the Shire website or call 9290 6696.