Picture: BROOKE LITTLEWOOD
WATTLE Range community members have been commended for their vigilance throughout the warmer months, as the Fire Danger Season came to an end in the Lower South East last week.
The 2018/19 season officially wrapped up at midnight on Tuesday with acting regional commander Jason Drewitt labelling it a “positive” period for the region.
“The fire season as whole has been quieter in the sense that we have not seen significant incidents like The Gap and Sherwood fires the season before,” Mr Drewitt said.
“We have still had some other isolated fires near Naracoorte and other areas of the Lower South East.
“Overall the public should be commended on how vigilant they were during the season.”
With fuel loads high after a wet winter, Mr Drewitt said it was a relief to get through the period relatively unscathed.
“Usually somewhere in December or January we get some relief with a bit of rain, but it did not come this year,” he said.
“It was a really dry landscape meaning fuel loads were suspect to combust alot easier and burn hotter, so we are pretty lucky that did not happen on a big scale.”
He said the lack of serious incidents was a reflection of the community listening to the advice and warning of the CFS.
“It shows people are understanding our messages through constant maintenance of their yards and having an up to date bushfire action plan,” Mr Drewitt said.
“They are heeding our warnings and making sure they are maintaining contact with what’s happening and action accordingly.”
While there were no serious incidents locally, interstate there were a number of serious fires in Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania.
Mr Drewitt said he was proud of a number of Region 5 CFS volunteers who were called to action and sent across the border to assist.
“I am always immensely proud of our volunteers who have such a great spirit and ethos to drop what they are doing at any moment and help those in need,” he said.
“There were a number of large-scale events interstate and the willingness of some volunteers to help is a testament to their character.”
Despite the season coming to a close, Mr Drewitt warned against complacency over the next few months.
“We still want the community to remain vigilant – just because the danger season is over, does not mean a fire cannot get out of control,” he said.
“As people choose to burn rubbish, I remind them to think about the surrounding areas and the conditions before doing so.”
