10 January 2023
By TFS
The Tasmania Fire Service is reminding all landholders that despite a wetter and cooler start to summer, farmers and land managers should ensure they are bushfire ready with survival plans prepared.
The national summer bushfire outlook is for ‘normal’ fire potential for much of the state, however parts of western Tasmania are forecast as ‘above normal’.
The southwest has been drier than the rest of the state for some time and this coupled with forecast below average rainfall and above average temperatures will increase the fire danger in these areas.
The potential for both bush and grass fires remains across Tasmania.
With increasing warmer weather, farmers should also be vigilant to the risk of accidental fire ignitions due to the use of some farm machinery and remain aware and follow current permit requirements and fire risk conditions.
The Tasmania Fire Service encourages all farmers to be bushfire ready. This includes having a written bushfire survival plan for the property. Central to a bushfire survival plan for farmers is protection of livestock and crops, safe and maintained machinery, and completion of preparation works around property
The Tasmania Fire Service 5 MINUTE Bushfire Plan https://bushfire.tas.gov.au/my-bushfire-plan is an easy, 3 step tool designed to help prepare people and properties for bushfire.
Red Hot Tipshttps://www.sfmc.tas.gov.au/RedHotTips
is a FREE fire and vegetation management program available for farmers and rural landholders. The program educates, engages and supports landholders in rural Tasmania to manage their bushfire risk through:
Registration and/or interest in Red Hot Tips can be sought here https://www.sfmc.tas.gov.au/node/121
Red Hot Tips provides landholders with a range of vegetation and fire management options to be bushfire ready:
Practical bushfire resources are available via the State Fire Management Council website and Red Hot Tips, including:
The Tasmania Fire Service encourages farmers to visit the Tasmania Fire Service website for information (some links are included below) and to get in touch.