THE need to prepare properties ahead of the bushfire season will be central to an event being planned by Jimboomba Rural Fire Brigade on Saturday, September 16.
According to Bernie Savage, captain and first officer of Jimboomba Fire Station, almost 400 homes in the region have been notified about the Prepare Act Survive event for the residents of the Birnam Range area.
“We’ve letter-dropped 380 properties in Birnam Range from Monmouth Court to Edelston Road, and on Camp Cable Road as far as Virginia Way, inviting them to the function on Saturday, September 16th,” he said.
“In Queensland, the bushfire season starts early, sometimes in August, sometimes earlier, depending on the winter rain, and we’ve had bugger all this year.
“People would have seen that big fire up at Caloundra last week. It went through 700 odd hectares of land and threatened a couple of towns.
“I’ve been in the fire brigade here for 27 years and we’ve only ever had a couple of small fires up in the Birnam Range, so the whole range itself hasn’t burned.”
The fuel loads in the Birnam Range are high, Mr Savage said.
Firebreaks
Mr Savage said residents should attend the Prepare Act Survive event to get up to speed with the limited resources available in the Jimboomba region.
“People need to prepare their properties by putting up firebreaks, especially if they live in a hilly area.
“Talk to your neighbours and put firebreaks around your properties, and it will decrease your chances of a bushfire affecting you.
“We’re going talk plainly about what the issues are with regards to properties. If a fire truck won’t fit down your driveway, we’re not going to be able to come in,” he said.
“On bad fire days, there is no guarantee you’ll get a fire truck down there, because we’ve only got four at our station.
“You’ve got to prepare your property and yourself, and have an evacuation plan so that you can make a decision to either get out early before anything starts, or have your property prepared in such a way that it can be defended, and you are capable of doing it.”
The Prepare Act Survive information session at Jimboomba Fire Brigade, Davidson Road, Jimboomba, will take place on Saturday, September 16, from 3.30pm, with a sausage sizzle afterwards.
Advice on fire safety, fire bans and daily fire activity is provided at ruralfire.qld.gov.au or fire.qld.gov.au. Follow Jimboomba Rural Fire Brigade via Facebook.com/pages/Jimboomba-Rural-Fire-Brigade/272279936242779.