HAZARD reduction burns take place in the Warragup Springs area this afternoon as part of City of Mandurah’s Bushfire Management Strategy.
The City will co-ordinate the burn with the help of fire planning experts, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) and local volunteer fire brigades.
The burn aims to reduce ground fuel loads during cooler months, without compromising ecological or aesthetic values and help protect the community.
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READ NOWThe burn will reduce the intensity and rate of spread should a bushfire take hold during the bushfire season.
In July 2014, the City participated in a similar joint-agency burn with DFES at Tims Thicket Reserve.
The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) have also carried out prescribed burns recently, reducing the fuel loads adjacent to residents in Yalgorup National Park.
City chief executive Mark Newman said the City of Mandurah was grateful to DPaW, DFES and emergency service volunteers for the work they are doing in bushfire prevention.
“The prescribed burns are important for our community – not only by reducing the risks to life and property but also to our valued ecology which can be devastated by high intensity bushfires,” he said.
The burns are planned with wind and weather conditions in mind to minimise inconvenience and discomfort to residents.
Prescribed burning is one of the many ways that the City manages the risk of bush fires.
Other preventative actions include fire management plans, vegetation management strategies, fire breaks, community education and enforcement.
Anyone in a smoke affected area should
– Shut doors and turn off air-conditioners
– People with asthma, respiratory, cardiovascular illnesses or diabetes should follow pre-prepared treatment plans
– People with conditions exacerbated by smoke should take precautions in line with their medical advice for these circumstances
– Smoke may reduce visibility, motorists should take care, turn on headlights and travel at appropriate speeds