Colac Otway Shire’s Fire Danger Period ends 1 May

Published on 27 April 2018

Colac Otway Shire’s Fire Danger Period ends 1 May

The 2017/2018 Fire Danger Period (FDP) will officially end in Colac Otway Shire on Tuesday May 1, 2018. The end of the FDP means residents and landowners no longer require a permit to conduct a burn after 1 May.

Residents and landowners within Designated Township Areas are permitted to burn only on specific days of the week; restrictions also apply to the nature of materials residents and landowners are permitted to burn.

There are a number of necessary preparations which should be made in order to conduct a burn safely. It remains the responsibility of the resident and/or landowner to burn safely. Preparations include:

• Ensuring the burn is compliant with the Colac Otway Shire Council’s local laws;
• Checking the weather forecast for the day of the burn and a few days afterwards (high winds may affect flame intensity and direction of smoke);
• Clearing a fire break (removing all flammable materials) of at least 3 metres around and above the burn location;
• Ensuring there are a number of people to monitor, contain and extinguish the burn safely and effectively if required; and
• Never leaving a fire unattended.

Burn offs should be registered on 1800 668 511 at least 30 minutes prior to ignition; registering your burn will ensure the CFA are not called out unnecessarily to extinguish unregistered fires.