Fire Management

Overview

Update your details

To ensure our property records are current, please notify us of change of name, address or ownership as soon as possible. This can be done online or by post.

Tell us what you are planning to do

Fire is a major risk in our community and Hume City has a long history of fast-moving grass fires, especially during the declared fire danger period. It's important to tell Council what your planned fire prevention works are:

Tell us what you're planning to do

Conservation and Fire Management

Hume City exists on the urban fringe, which means many suburbs back on to conservation areas, such as grasslands and woodlands. These habitat types have evolved with fire in the landscape with many native plant species needing fire to regenerate.

Council receives a number of reports each year from residents concerned that conservation areas pose a fire risk. However, conservation reserves generally pose very little risk for a number of reasons:

• Most of these reserves have been designed in consideration for a fire, such as having paths and road between conservation areas and residential property to provide a hard surface buffer. Walking paths inside a reserve, breaks up the vegetation across the landscape and helps reduce the intensity of a fire.   
• When we are managing our reserves, we change the vegetation from introduced grasses to native grasses, which do not burn as hot or as fast as introduced grasses. 
• Councils’ conservation officers conduct a series of planned burns and grass cutting around the edge of reserves to reduce the risk of fires as per the Municipal Fire Management Plan.

Planned burns every few years helps provide improved conditions for native seeds to grow, improved weed control, and significantly reduces the risk and impact of fires on public land and adjoining areas. Council officers and supporting contractors conducting controlled burns are experienced and trained in this work. Each burn is carefully planned, with considerations on the predicted weather, dryness of the vegetation and how steep the site is. On the day of the burn, VicFire is notified about the activity, and the weather and site conditions are assessed before the burn starts, then throughout the day.   Council will burn small sections at a time and monitor fire grounds until declaring the area safe. 

On the burn day, traffic will be managed where smoke may affect local roads. If you are driving near a planned burn, you should turn on your headlights and take extra care if there is poor road visibility. 

If you have health queries relating to smoke exposure you should seek medical advice or call NURSE-ON-CALL on 1300 60 60 24.

After the burn, you may wonder why sections of vegetation was left unburnt. This is done deliberately for the following reasons:

• Unburnt areas provide a safe place for animals, such as reptiles, to escape into during the burn.
• To allow plants to flower and drop seed to ensure their ongoing survival.
• Weed control in the burn area is very intensive, and Council needs to make sure that it has enough resources to do the job properly.

Each year Council aims to burn approximately one third of a reserve so that all vegetation is burnt over a three-year cycle. This practice is known as mosaic burning and it is commonly used for biodiversity conservation.

Landowners living near conservation or open space areas, also have a responsibility to ensure that their property is maintained before and throughout the fire season. For tips on what you can do to prepare for the fire danger period, visit the CFA website https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare For any enquiries contact Customer Service on 9205 2200.

Getting ready for the Fire Danger Period 

Prior to the declared fire danger period

• Updating your details with Council if your information has changed to ensure you receive a fire prevention notice.
• Trimming grass and weeds so they are less than 10cm in height, including around fence lines. 
• Removing any dead leaves and old tree branches.
• Removing any flammable materials, old tyres and rubbish.
• Having a bushfire plan and fire ready kit.
• Getting to know your neighbours so you can assist or ask for assistance if need be. 
• Checking your insurance to ensure fences, outbuildings and their contents are covered by your insurance policy.

Preparing the Municipality

Each year, Council works with the Victorian Government and fire agencies to make sure our municipality is fire ready.

Actions included in the Municipal Fire Management Plan are put into place to help ensure Hume is a safer place to be during the fire danger period. Some of the activities Council undertakes are:

• Increased roadside slashing activity
• Grading bare-earth firebreaks
• Mowing parks and reserves
• Inspecting private properties
• Planned burns
• Maintaining Fire Access Roads
• When preparing your property, you may want to utilise Council's organic green waste bins or dispose of tree branches for free at one of Council's Mulching Days throughout the year.

Being fire aware and being prepared is a shared responsibility across government, emergency services and the community.

Working together we can help make sure Victoria is prepared for fire.

Preparing vacant land

Every year we send out advisory letters to vacant land owners letting them know they need to prepare their property. 

Council's Municipal Fire Prevention Officers inspect thousands of vacant properties across the municipality to identify possible fire risks. If the fuel load on the property is considered to be a fire hazard, Council will issue a Fire Prevention Notice specifying what works need to be carried out.

If the work required has not been carried out by the due date, a contractor will be engaged to carry out the works and the cost will be passed on to the property owner, at a minimum cost of $528.00.

You may also receive an infringement notice for failing to comply with a Fire Prevention Notice. The current ‘on-the-spot’ penalty is $1,923.00. Council also has the legal right to initiate court proceedings against the property owner. The maximum penalty is $23,040.00, and/or 12 months imprisonment may apply. 

Planned ecological burns

Planned ecological burns will occur throughout autumn to manage the health of our conversation areas including grassland sites. 

Burning of these areas helps protect the health of grasses and soils, increase fuel reduction and support the growth of more flowering herbs to create habitat for insects, reptiles, birds and other species. 

Planned burns can only be completed under certain weather conditions so we are unable to specify the dates and time in which burns will be conducted, however all nearby residents will be notified of planned burns in their area.

The burns will occur at the following sites highlighted on the map below:

Living in Hume during the Fire Danger Period

Each year, fire services declare the Fire Danger Period to restrict use of fire in the community. This is to help reduce and prevent the start and spread of fires. The CFA declares the Fire Danger Period at different times each year for each district or region. Hume City Council is in the Central Region. To find out when the Fire Danger Period has been declared go to the CFA website.

Home Fire Safety

On average, there are 3,000 house fires in Victoria each year. House fires are devastating and often people find they have lost not only their home but the precious memories inside.

The CFA website has useful information about how house fires can be prevented by taking simple precautions.

Know what to do if a fire starts at home

Every family needs to develop a home fire escape plan and practice it. Your plan should include two ways to escape each room of the house, and a designated safe meeting point, such as the letterbox.

If you deadlock doors when you're at home, always leave keys in the lock to avoid becoming trapped.