Meet with neighbours and be fire aware

MEET with your neighbours and a knowledgeable, friendly representative from your local Country Fire Authority (CFA) brigade to learn what to do before as well as on those bad fire danger days.

The CFA is encouraging rural and regional residents, property owners and community groups to contact their local brigade to arrange a Fire Awareness Meeting, in a public hall, a private home or at the fire station.

Foster CFA senior firefighter Brian Mellor said these Fire Awareness Meetings “are a great way to find out the very latest in what the CFA would like people to do on rising and extreme fire days.

“Some of the topics we cover at the meetings include fire behaviour, developing a fire safety plan, property protection measures, and what needs to be done around people’s places, ideally before the fire season gets right under way,” he said.

“The meetings allow people to brainstorm ideas and to work together to help each other so they can be as ready as they possibly can be.

“The CFA wants residents to stay as safe as possible and to do the work now so when they do leave on extreme and catastrophic fire days there’s a greater possibility of their homes surviving,” Brian said.

“CFA members are always willing to travel to speak at a Fire Awareness Meeting, that might involve, say, the people who live a small rural community or perhaps along a particular road.

“Otherwise your local CFA brigade’s shed always makes the perfect venue for such a gathering,” he said.

“Some Fire Awareness Meetings have already been held in the Corner Inlet district, including the most recent one in a home at Foster North, which was organised by the owners who invited their neighbours to come along.”

Brian said the risk of fire “is very real” in South Gippsland, and while the Corner Inlet district has not endured widespread devastating fires since early last century, the danger still remains.

“During the Black Saturday fires in Gippsland in February 2009, the countryside was burning this side of the Latrobe Valley, with embers igniting fires 20 and 30 kilometres ahead of the fire front,” he said.

“A change in the wind direction sent the embers flying towards Jack River instead down towards us on a 46 degree Celsius day, when the fire was possibly not even 30 minutes away.”

For more information about CFA Fire Awareness Meetings contact Foster CFA senior firefighter Brian Mellor on 0428 176 566 or your local CFA brigade.• Foster CFA senior firefighter Brian Mellor invites Corner Inlet district residents and property owners to contact their local CFA brigade to arrange a neighbourly community-based CFA Fire Awareness Meeting  and find out how to prepare for the 2020/2021 fire season.

Meet with neighbours and be fire aware

MEET with your neighbours and a knowledgeable, friendly representative from your local Country Fire Authority (CFA) brigade to learn what to do before as well as on those bad fire danger days.

The CFA is encouraging rural and regional residents, property owners and community groups to contact their local brigade to arrange a Fire Awareness Meeting, in a public hall, a private home or at the fire station.

Foster CFA senior firefighter Brian Mellor said these Fire Awareness Meetings “are a great way to find out the very latest in what the CFA would like people to do on rising and extreme fire days.

“Some of the topics we cover at the meetings include fire behaviour, developing a fire safety plan, property protection measures, and what needs to be done around people’s places, ideally before the fire season gets right under way,” he said.

“The meetings allow people to brainstorm ideas and to work together to help each other so they can be as ready as they possibly can be.

“The CFA wants residents to stay as safe as possible and to do the work now so when they do leave on extreme and catastrophic fire days there’s a greater possibility of their homes surviving,” Brian said.

“CFA members are always willing to travel to speak at a Fire Awareness Meeting, that might involve, say, the people who live a small rural community or perhaps along a particular road.

“Otherwise your local CFA brigade’s shed always makes the perfect venue for such a gathering,” he said.

“Some Fire Awareness Meetings have already been held in the Corner Inlet district, including the most recent one in a home at Foster North, which was organised by the owners who invited their neighbours to come along.”

Brian said the risk of fire “is very real” in South Gippsland, and while the Corner Inlet district has not endured widespread devastating fires since early last century, the danger still remains.

“During the Black Saturday fires in Gippsland in February 2009, the countryside was burning this side of the Latrobe Valley, with embers igniting fires 20 and 30 kilometres ahead of the fire front,” he said.

“A change in the wind direction sent the embers flying towards Jack River instead down towards us on a 46 degree Celsius day, when the fire was possibly not even 30 minutes away.”

For more information about CFA Fire Awareness Meetings contact Foster CFA senior firefighter Brian Mellor on 0428 176 566 or your local CFA brigade.

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