Burning Off


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	Fire Safety
	Burning Off
	Burning off is an effective means of controlling excessive buildup of dry fuel, either on grassland on in the understorey of open bushland. This is particularly applicable in our strongly seasonal climate here on the Southern tablelands, where strong growth in spring and autumn can be followed by drying off in summer and winter. There are a few guidelines that need to be followed.
During the summer fire season, normally from 1st October to 31st March unless varied due to unusual weather conditions, it is necessary to obtain a permit to conduct burnoffs or light large bonfires in the open. Contact the Captain, Rod Simpson, to obtain a permit if you live in the Sutton Volunteer Rural Fire Brigade area. A permit will only be granted if you can satisfy the Captain that you have the knowledge and the means to keep the fire under control and extinguish it. A permit may be cancelled if weather conditions suddenly change, for example if a howling hot westerly wind suddenly springs up. The holder of a fire permit must carry it at the time that the fire authorised by the permit is lit. All conditions on the permit must be adhered to. That would seem to be bleeding obvious, but the fire authorities feel the necessity to say it, so they must have a reason. Perhaps there are some folks about who are not as sensible as us in Sutton.

Note that there are now new regulations that require landholders to acquire a certificate from the local Shire Council before conducting hazard reduction burnoffs. These are valid for one year, and are issued if there are no conditions that would contra-indicate burning, such as the existence of historical mounments or endangered species on the property. These must be obtained BEFORE getting a permit from the Fire Brigade Captain. These are obtained from the Mitigation Officer at Yarrowlumla/Queanbeyan Fire Control. A certificate is not required if the burn is for agricultural purposes, such as burning stubble, or native grasses to encourage spring growth.


Members of the Sutton Brigade conduct a burnoff in bushland in 1999. The means to extinguish the fire are more prominent than the means to light it.
Outside the summer fire season, it is not necessary to obtain a permit. However, certain formalities are essential in order to prevent false alarm calls to the brigade, and unnecessary callouts for volunteers. You MUST notify your neighbours, that is occupiers or owners of land with whom you share a fence or from whom you are separated by a narrow space such as a lane or creek. You must do this at least 24 hours before the fire is lit. A burning phalaris paddock or patch or gorse, or even a large bonfire, can send up a sudden and alarming plume of smoke, and could easily result in a neighbour making a false alarm emergency call.
		Is this a major emergency? No, it's just a hazard reduction burn in slightly green phalaris which is producing a lot of smoke.

You MUST also notify the Rural Fire Service. You must notify your local Fire Control, and if you live in the Sutton Volunteer Rural Fire Brigade area you should also notify the duty officer on 0418 303 232. The duty officer is responsible for calling out volunteers in an emergency and is the person who knows what is going on at any given time. If a passing motorist on the Federal Highway sees a plume of smoke and dives for the mobile and dials 000, and it it amazing how many of them do, and if the duty officer does not know that the smoke is coming from a hazard reduction burn because it has not been reported, then that duty officer is obliged to call out a crew. If that crew then has to leave work and respond in a big red truck, and they encounter a bunch of people casually standing around a bonfire or flaming gorse bush, everybody gets a bit cantankerous. It is the law. It is also better for community relations to keep on good terms with your local volunteers.


			The brigade burning off gorse. The sudden plume of smoke and flame may be quite alarming to a passerby. Photograph by Graham Scofield.
If you, as a resident of the Sutton area, see smoke arising in an unexpected place and you are not too sure whether it is an emergency in the offing or just somebody burning off, you should also ring the duty officer on 0418 303 232. The duty officer will either know what is going on or will find out. Discreet enquiries at the local shop or to Auntie Mabel down the road may just delay reporting or create confusion. The duty officer would much prefer to answer a simple enquiry than end up having to call out a crew unnecessarily.

While the brigade does sometimes conduct control burns on private land, particularly if they need to do so for training purposes, they are not obliged to undertake hazard reduction on behalf of private landholders. It is the responsibility of landowners themselves to reduce fire hazard on their property. If you choose to do this by burning off, you must be in attendance at the fire at all times and must have the means available to extinguish it. If the prospect of setting fire to a paddock of phalaris seems a bit alarming you can always slash it, but do it before the height of midsummer when the grass is fully dried out. Otherwise this process becomes a fire hazard in itself.


The brigade burning off a dry phalaris paddock in 2000, in what is now the new rural residential development of Sutton Park. New residents are reminded that the grass will grow as long and dry and combustible this year if not controlled.
The NSW Rural Fire Service has a brief pamphlet entitled "Before You Light That Fire", which mainly tells you what you must not do. If you are a member of our Sutton Community, contact our secretary if you need a copy, or contact the Captain if you want to discuss burnoff strategy.

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