Details
Last Updated: Tuesday, 06 February 2024 10:25

Bushfires are fueled by vegetation, unpredictable in nature and can quickly change direction with wind conditions. Any areas that are close enough to be affected by burning material, embers and smoke can be threatened by bushfires, potentially causing major damage to property, injury and loss of life.

Risk season

While bushfires can be a risk at any time of year, the bushfire risk is higher for our region from August to November and sometimes through until March.

Get ready website

Active bushfires, alerts, fire danger ratings and information to help you prepare for fire season can all be found on the Get ready website.

Fire bans

During fire season, fire bans may be in place. No fires of any kind can be lit if there is a fire ban in place, subject to any exemptions by the Queensland Rural Fire Service. To find out if a fire ban is currently in place, and what activities are allowed under the fire ban, check the Rural Fire Service website.

How to prepare your property for fire season

It is your responsibility to be familiar with official bushfire warning levels and have a bushfire survival plan in place. When there is a bushfire in your area, seek information about the event, make decisions and act. A bushfire survival plan template can be downloaded from the Get ready website.

Follow the steps in our 'Preparing for emergencies' article to make sure you are always prepared for an emergency situation. 

  • Check your roof and repair loose tiles, eaves and screws
  • Clean gutters and downpipes
  • Trim greenery
  • Ensure your insurance is up to date
  • Purchase food and water supplies
  • Reduce bushfire fuel around your property by grading or burning a fire-break and keeping grass and leaf litter at a minimum
  • Hazard reduction burns can be an effective way to prepare your property for bushfire season. Before undertaking a hazard reduction burn, a permit must be obtained from your local warden.
  • Plant a wind break
  • Implement fire mitigation measures such as enclosing eaves, fitting wire screens to doors, windows and vents, enclosing under-floor areas and moving wood and fuel away from buildings
  • Fit outdoor taps and long hoses in strategic places
  • Install roof sprinklers
  • Ensure LPG safety valves face away from buildings
  • Ensure easy and safe access for fire fighting vehicles

Ways to avoid starting a fire

  • Ensure machinery is well serviced and do not operate machinery which may create sparks in dry grassed areas (for example: grinding/welding equipment)
  • Do not discard cigarette butts
  • Extinguish campfires with water 
  • Coals must be cool to the touch
  • Landholders need to slash fire breaks and ensure firefighting equipment is available
  • Remove vegetation from around structures

Where to check for alerts during a disaster

During a disaster we will provide information on our specifically designed website: http://disaster.tr.qld.gov.au.

Returning home after a bushfire

Cleaning up your property can be a daunting task after a bushfire and it's important that you know how to do it safely. Please read the bushfire fact sheets provided by the Queensland Government for detailed information on cleaning up your property safely and looking after yourself, and your family's health.

 

What Council does each year

We carry out a range of activities for bushfire mitigation including:

  • participating as an active member of the Darling Downs Area Fire Management Group
  • supporting Queensland Fire and Emergency Services in notifying the community of fire season and how to be prepared
  • bushfire management planning
  • development controls through the Planning Scheme and local laws (e.g. overgrown properties)
  • constructing and maintaining firebreaks and management access tracks
  • maintenance of fire buffer zones
  • maintenance of fire hydrants and water access points for use by firefighters
  • in coordination with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, we conduct planned burns on Council land to reduce wildfire risk and maintain the health of bushland
  • assisting emergency services in the management of disasters.

Prescribed fuel reduction burns conducted ahead of the fire season play an important role in alleviating risk, however they form only one part of the overarching mitigation plan.

We support a coordinated approach to bushfire risk mitigation with a group of government, business and community organisations called the Darling Downs Area Fire Management Group. This group includes Queensland State Government departments of Fire and Emergency Services, Transport and Main Roads, Parks and Wildlife Service, Rail and Health as well as utility and business representatives of Ergon, Telstra, Powerlink and HQ Plantations along with community and relevant industry groups of Bunya People Aboriginal Corporation and Agforce SEQ.

The Darling Downs Area Fire Management Group works within a Bushfire Risk Mitigation Plan to:

  • identify bushfire hazards and plan bushfire mitigation activities
  • support long-term vegetation management
  • engage with the community
  • support partner organisations and landowners in preparation for bushfires.

Operation Cool Burn

We also support an annual coordinated agency operation called Operation Cool Burn, where a range of Government and Community based organisation work together to protect our community from the risk of bushfires. Working together with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services (QFES), the initiative aims to spearhead mitigation activities across the state to reduce fire risk in bushfire-prone areas ahead of the season.

Preparations are typically made in the first half of each year with QFES for prescribed fuel reduction burns. Subject to appropriate weather conditions, prescribed burns are carried out in the middle of the year in advance of the fire season.

 

Related information

QFES - map of potential bushfire areas