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Fire danger zone boundaries concern

Posted on November 6, 2009, 11:11am and updated on November 7, 2009 at 4:04 pm

Boundaries for the Lower South East fire ban district will remain unchanged for the 2009-10 fire danger season, despite ongoing concerns of Country Fire Service (CFS) volunteers about the region’s large climatic variation.

The Lower South East district, from Naracoorte to Port MacDonnell, encompasses coastal areas where temperatures are often several degrees lower and conditions milder than inland.

The region’s large climatic variation has seen fire bans being declared in colder areas because of hot conditions in Naracoorte.

Of the first five fire bans called last season, the Mount Gambier district’s forecast conditions did not register on the Fire Danger Index.

This has concerned many CFS volunteers and councillors, including Mount Gambier CFS group officer Graham Lamond, who said the declaration of total fire ban days where they weren’t needed made “a mockery of the system”.

“What constitutes a day of total fire ban in one part of the region can sometimes force the fire ban on areas where it may not apply,” Mr Lamond said.

“If fire bans are constantly declared when unwarranted, people may become lax about genuinely extreme fire danger warnings.

“We want the general public and community to realise when a day of total fire ban is declared it is an extreme day and they need to take necessary precautions.”

Mr Lamond said the CFS had two viable options to amend the situation.

“They either need to declare another fire ban district or go back to having two weather stations that are able to declare bans, one in Naracoorte and one in Mount Gambier,” he said.

However, according to Lower South East CFS fire prevention officer Brett Merrett there have been recent enquiries into the establishment of a smaller region.

Mr Merrett said discussions with senior volunteers and local councils were under way.

“In the meantime, the district will remain the same and people need to remember to abide by conditions, even if the weather does not meet their expectations of a total fire ban day,” he said.

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