Prohibited Burning Periods

No burning activities are permitted during this period at any time. Prohibited Burning Period dates may be amended, subject to prevailing seasonal conditions.

Report all signs of smoke or fire to 000.

Restricted Burning Periods

During this period.

• A permit is required to Please contact your local Fire Control Officer or the Shire of Victoria Plains office during business hours to obtain a permit.
• Burning is prohibited on any day when the Fire Danger Rating reaches High, Extreme or Catastrophic
• Burning is prohibited when a Total Fire Ban has been declared
• Burning is prohibited when a Harvest and Vehicle Movement Ban has been declared

Total Fire Bans

A Total Fire Ban (TFB) is declared on days when fires are most likely to threaten lives and property. This is because of predicted extreme fire weather or when there are already widespread fires and firefighting resources are stretched.

Occasionally TFBs may be declared outside of a fire season (such as in May or June) due to other factors such as higher temperatures and expected strong winds preceding a storm front. For more information regarding TFB please visit the DFES website. Total Fire Ban Information

Permits

Permits are required for burning operations at any time during the RESTRICTED burning periods. Permits are required for all areas.

How to obtain a permit
Permits can be obtained from the Shire Office or from your local Permit Issuing Officer if you live in another area of the Shire.

When applying for a permit you will need to provide the Lot/Location number and Street Name of the property for which the permit is to apply.

Fire Control Officers are not obliged to issue permits.

Permits cannot be issued over the phone and should a Fire Control Officer refuse to issue a permit, it is a breach of the Bush Fire Act 1954 to request a permit from another Fire Control Officer should you be turned away.

Permits are SUSPENDED on days of HIGH fire danger and above and/or when A Total Fire Ban or Harvest and Vehicle Movement Ban is declared.

Harvest and Vehicle Movement Bans

Harvest and Off-Road Activity Bans are declared by a Fire Control Officer in consultation with the Shire.

They can be declared when fire weather conditions are most likely to threaten lives and property or when a fire is already underway and firefighting resources are committed.

Special conditions and exemptions may apply depending on the type and reason for the ban.

To receive harvest & vehicle movement bans please contact the Shire office or click here.

What is Not Permitted During a HVMB?

The following is an example of the activities NOT PERMITTED during a HVMB:
harvesting operations are not permitted.
any “hot works” (e.g., welding, grinding, cutting, heating etc) in the open air are not permitted
other – use or operation of any engine, vehicle, plant, equipment or machinery in the area likely to cause a bush fire or contribute to the spread of a bush fire (eg motor bikes, quad bikes or other motorised vehicles in bush or off-road areas including paddocks)

What is Permitted During a HVMB?

The following is an example of the activities PERMITTED during a HVMB:

- Movement of Vehicles on “gazetted roads” – as described in Bush Fires Regulation 24A (1) and Road Traffic Act 1974 section 5.1
- Movement of vehicles on a lane, driveway, yard or other area that provides access to, or a parking facility at, any residential, farming or business premises, if the area has been sufficiently cleared of inflammable material to prevent the escape of fire.
- Use or operation of a vehicle if it is for the prevention of an immediate and serious risk to the health or safety of a person or livestock, and only if all reasonable precautions have been taken to prevent the activity from creating a bush fire danger
- Use or operations of vehicles and undertaking of “hot works” by those persons holding a current Exemption under Bush Fires Act 1954 s. 22C (exemption from Total Fire Bans).

Fire Control Officers

Firebreaks

The Following is an overview of your legal requirements under the Bush Fires Act 1954.

As a measure to assist in the control of bushfires, or preventing the spread or extension of a bushfire, all landowners/occupiers of land within the Shire of Victoria Plains must ensure they meet requirements under Section 33 of the Bush Fires Act.

Notice is hereby given to all landowners/occupiers within the Shire of Victoria Plains that you are required on or before 31 October to plough, scarify, cultivate or otherwise clear a firebreak and thereafter maintain clear of all flammable material up to and including 29 March as per requirements in relation to Section 33 of the above. For more information click on the link below.

S. 33 Notice Victoria plains