Burn off restrictions eased

Burn off restrictions have been eased for Cardinia Shire residents who are allowed to burn off for fire prevention purposes.

By Jessica Anstice

Burn off restrictions have been eased for Cardinia Shire residents who are allowed to burn off for fire prevention purposes.

From now until the Fire Danger Period is declared, open air burning is allowed without a permit from Monday to Saturday.

Open air burning is allowed provided that the resident lives in the Cardinia Shire Council Bushfire Prone Area (BPA) and the burn off is for fire prevention and fire fuel reduction purposes.

Council burn off requirements also need to be followed at all times and the burn off needs to be registered with the Country Fire Authority (CFA).

If a property is 20 hectares or less in size, the person in charge of the burn off must have no more than one open air fire at once, a fire break of three metres and a maximum pile size of eight cubic metres – that is, two metres long, two metres deep and two metres high.

If the property is greater than 20 hectares, there must be no more than three open air fires at once, a fire break of six metres and a maximum pile size of 64 cubic metres – that is, four metres long, four metres deep and four metres high.

The easing of restrictions aims to help landowners reduce fire fuel in the lead up to the Fire Danger Period.

To reduce the fuel load before burning off, residents are urged to consider using methods including the kerbside green waste bin collection, hard and bundled green waste collection, composting for mulching or taking green waste to a local tip, transfer station or waste facility.

Residents are also encouraged to familiarise themselves with the CFA’s guide to safely burning off and to talk to their neighbours before burning off.

We also encourage residents to familiarise themselves with the CFA’s guide to safely

If you decide to burn off this year, you must follow all the rules:

1. You cannot burn off on Total Fire Ban or smog alert days. To check if it’s a Total Fire Ban day, go to the CFA website. To check if it’s a smog alert day, check EPA AirWatch

2. Fires must be supervised. A person 18 years or over with the means and ability to put the fire out must be present for the whole time the fire is alight.

3. The purpose of the fire must be to reduce fuel on your property. It cannot be lit for commercial or industrial purposes.

4. You can only burn dry vegetation, not green vegetation. Hard rubbish, household waste, flammable liquids or commercial or industrial waste is strictly not allowed to be burnt.

5. Fires must not cause risk to other properties.

6. Smoke from the fire cannot reduce visibility on any roads.

7. Fires must not cause problems for other people. It must not be unreasonably offensive or a nuisance to another person – particularly from the smoke it creates.

8. You need to put the fire out if an authorised person tells you to. Fires must be immediately put out if a member of an emergency service or Council officer directs you to do this.

For more information on burning off in Cardinia Shire, visit www.cardinia.vic.gov.au/burnoff