Though it was a hot start to autumn, the weather is getting cooler and Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV) and CFA have jumped right into planned burning.
If you have seen smoke you may have seen one of the local burns currently being conducted right now.
The CFA recently burned 8ha in Upper Beaconsfield at Dallas Brooks Scout Park to reduce overall fuel loads in the area.
As of Wednesday 27 March, FFMV is burning 81ha along Clarkes Creek Track in Kurth Kiln Regional Park, Gembrook which is to clear a significant area of fuel to act as break in the event of a bushfire.
A further 35ha has been burned just off Wellington Road, Lysterfield. There will be many more planned burns to come in the local area throughout the season.
FFMVic Gippsland Deputy Chief Fire Officer Sam Quigley said planned burning was one of the tools FFMVic used to keep Victoria safer from bushfires.
“Delivering our planned burning program takes a lot of planning and preparation,” Mr Quigley said.
“If you live in or are visiting an area where planned burning is taking place, there’s a good chance you’ll see FFMVic firefighters preparing locations or delivering planned burns. They’ll be the ones in our distinctive green firefighting uniforms.
“The bushfire risk management program is focused on creating a strategic network of fuel reduced areas on public land because it’s not just what’s being done now, but what we’ve delivered in the past and what we plan to deliver in the future that will keep our communities safer.”
