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Gippsland › Latest news › Department of Sustainability and Environment

Progress Of Burning Operations Across Gippsland

The autumn program of prescribed burning is well underway in Gippsland, with more than 30 asset protection burns and 43 regeneration burns successfully completed across the region since the end of February.

By Department of Sustainability and Environment - 18th March 2005 - Back to News

Further burning operations are planned for the region throughout autumn, while the weather remains favourable.

The Department has been able to direct extra resources towards carrying out burns, with a significant boost in funding as part of the State Government's response to the Victorian Bushfire Inquiry.

Months and sometimes years of planning go into these burning operations to ensure the safety of nearby communities as well as the safety of fire management staff involved.

The burns are planned strategically so that they will protect communities most at risk from wildfires by reducing the intensity of fires and providing a safer environment for firefighters to work in.

These strategic plans form part of the regional Fire Operations Plans, which all individuals and communities are encouraged to contribute to when they are drafted, from July to September every year.

The planning that takes place before a burn can be ignited involves detailed analysis of weather forecasts, fuel hazards and fuel moisture and extensive consultation with local communities, the CFA, Parks Victoria, VicForests and DSE's Flora and Fauna experts.

Burns will only proceed if the right combination of weather and fuel characteristics are met to ensure that conditions and communities are safe and well-prepared for fire staff to light up a controlled burn that will stay controlled.

If planned burns do not go ahead due to poor weather conditions or for other reasons, then DSE will make every effort to ensure that the burn is undertaken at a later date when conditions improve.

Prescribed burning operations in spring and autumn provide an ideal training ground for local CFA crews, Project Firefighters and other departmental staff who may not have had experience in a wildfire situation.

In a controlled burn, working with experienced staff, crews will gain invaluable skills and training in a safe and supervised environment, learning more about fire behaviour and fire suppression. This experience will ensure that they are better equipped to deal with summer wildfires.

It also provides an excellent opportunity for DSE, Parks Victoria, DPI, VicForests and the CFA

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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