Fire Prevention
FIRE SEASON DATES
Kangaroo Island Council is again asking property holders to be proactive with their bushfire compliance activities as required under the Fire and Emergency Services Act 2005 to prevent fire from spreading from their property. A copy of the Fire and Emergency Services Act can be found here.
Fire Prevention - It Starts With You!
This compliance for heavily vegetated blocks requires a 5m fuel reduced zone on all boundaries of the landholder’s property. However if the landholder owns more than one adjacent block then a 5m perimeter boundary of all the blocks is sufficient. The diagram below represents the percentage coverage of a block by trees and shrubs.
As a Landholder What Should I Look For?
When landholders are carrying out their fire prevention works in the fuel reduced zone, they should be attempting to trim and remove some of the trees and shrubs to provide a non-continuous layer of fuel as highlighted in the 20-30% range in the diagram. The idea being that there is not continuous fuel supplied to the fire allowing it to spread easily.
Ground covers and grasses should be trimmed aggressively allowing for a clear understory free of fine fuels. These fine fuels burn easily and quickly and pre heat the heavier fuels allowing them to burn readily similar to using kindling to start a fire.
What about Dwellings on my Property or my Neighbours Property?
All dwellings are required to have a 20m Asset Protection Zone around it. Should your neighbour have a dwelling close to your boundary it is your legal obligation under the act to ensure that you continue the zone onto your property. The Asset Protection Zone should be created by the same methods used for the 5m boundary zone. On grassland blocks, all grass on the block is to be slashed to a height of 100mm.
What does Overgrown Coastal Vegetation Look Like?
| What does Compliant Coastal Vegetation - After Look Like?
|
For further information: Please contact Customer Service on 08 8553 4500.
