FIREFIGHTERS have pleaded with landowners to pre-register their burn-offs to avoid wasting the time and effort of volunteers called out to “false alarms”.
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Ballarat’s fire brigade was called out to two false alarms over the weekend – burn-offs that had not been pre-registered and then raised concern with neighbours who witnessed smoke and flames.
CFA District 15 acting operations manager Alfred Mason up to a dozen firefighers would attend these kinds of callouts – a mixture of paid staff and volunteers.
It takes volunteers away from their jobs, their families, their work,” he said.
“The individual (volunteer firefighters) undertake training to get to a level of being able to respond and they maintain that training.
“They know there’s a need, there will always be fire, but they don’t want to leave family events or get up in the middle of the night to turn up to a burn-off where someone has just been inconsiderate and not notified about it.”
The CFA also warned about firefighters being taken away from actual emergencies such as house fire, grass fire or situations where life and property were at risk.
If a landowner pre-registers their burn-off, calls to triple 0 can be filtered to avoid costly false alarms.
Mr Mason urged landowners wanting to burn off to call the registration number, contact their local council to enquire about any bylaws and also be mindful of the time of year they were burning.
He said burning wind rows should finish up soon before the hot weather hits, as those types of burn-offs could continue for weeks.
“The fire potential will be coming in earlier this year,” he said.
“If people are going to be burning, they need to get in now.”
Meanwhile, DELWP firefighters have called for a ban on planned controlled burns from this week after being unable to reach staff Enterprise Agreements with the Victorian state government.
The Australian Workers Union said it would notify the government of bans on planned burns on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, as well as an indefinite stop on falling trees for firewood, and a ban on cleaning toilets and collecting rubbish in picnic areas.
CFA has urged anyone wanting to conduct a burn-off to call and register on 1800 668 551.
