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Residents In Alpine Areas Advised To Enact Bushfire Plans

CFA and DSE advise residents in Falls Creek

By DSE/CFA - 20th January 2003 - Back to News

CFA and DSE advise residents in Falls Creek, Hotham Heights and Dinner Plain, the Buckland and Upper Ovens valleys, Wandiligong, Harrietville, and the Nariel Valley that the fires are travelling in your direction and you may be threatened today and tonight.

Residents are advised in these communities that they need to stay alert, implement their safety plans and continue to monitor the radio for further updates.

In the Feathertop/Mt. Buffalo area, residents in areas around Dinner Plain, Buckland Valley, Eurobin, Harrietville, Smoko and Hotham Heights should be aware of the fires possibly burning close to these localities in the during today and take appropriate measures. Falls Creek residents should remain alert for possible secondary threats.

In other areas residents in the Nariel, Glen Valley, Glen Wills, Thowgla and Thowgla Upper areas are also advised to be alert throughout today.

Community safety and asset protection has become the primary focus of the control effort. CFA and DSE fire crews focussed on protecting community and property assets are currently located at:

• Falls Creek (15 trucks)
• Hotham Village (10 trucks)
• Buffalo area (15 trucks)
• Harrietville (5 Trucks)

Others are working around Bright and the Buckland Valley.

Yesterday’s extreme weather conditions have resulted in ash deposits and embers around Bright and the Buckland Valley from the fires around Mt Buffalo. People in the Buckland and Upper Ovens valleys should be alert for burning embers, which may cause spot fires in their locality. The weather is expected to stay hot and windy over the weekend.

CFA and DSE are encouraging people in alpine areas to enact their bushfire plans NOW. People who choose to leave their properties should leave early. It is too late if your property is smoke enveloped with embers and ash falling. It is extremely dangerous to leave properties when flames are in such proximity. If you are on the road and see smoke nearby and don’t know where it’s coming from, u-turn without delay.

People, who choose to stay, should have prepared their properties by clearing flammable materials – including doormats and outdoor furniture, from around the dwelling and ensuring gutters are clean.

Things to do now:

• Dress in appropriate clothing: i.e. natural fibres, long sleeved shirts and long pants, sturdy boots and head protection possibly in the form of a wide brimmed hat, and dust mask. Synthetic materials SHOULD NOT BE WORN.
• Conduct inspections of your property 
• Have lots of water on hand in buckets and containers; fill the bath and sinks as well. 
• Once the fire front has passed, patrol the grounds of your property to ensure falling embers do not ignite larger fires. Extinguish lit embers immediately.

All affected communities are being asked to observe changes in wind speed and/or direction and to be vigilant, alert and aware of weather conditions.

Updates will be available regularly by radio. The best radio stations to listen to for updates are:

• ABC Radio: Wodonga (106.5), Bright (89.7), Corryong (99.7), Goulburn Valley (97.7)
• EDGE FM/3NE - Mount Beauty and Myrtleford (90.1)
• Mount Hotham (89.3)
• Mount Buffalo (99.1) 
• Revival Time Radio (94.9)
• Upper Murray Community Radio (88.7 or 107.5)

Key Points to Remember

• Residents are advised that embers may be landing around their properties soon, and they should take all measures to put them out 
• It is important that residents protect themselves from radiant heat by wearing the right clothing -–long -sleeved shirts, long pants, sturdy boots, and a broad-brimmed hat. Synthetic materials SHOULD NOT BE WORN
• As the front of the fire approaches the heat radiating from the fire will be intense. It will become unsafe to be on foot or in a car. Residents should avoid being exposed to radiant heat at all costs, and should make use of structures, like their homes, to shelter as the fire front passes.
• After the fire front has passed, residents should immediately begin to patrol their house, looking for embers or areas that are burning, and extinguish them as best they can.

For up-to-date information on fire threat residents of Alpine Shire please ring Alpine Shire’s Municipal Emergency Coordination Centre on 03 57 550 524.

For information about public road closures and threats to private property please call the Victoria Police Information Line on: 1 800 444 343 or 03 9247 3650.

This information is provided by the Country Fire Authority in partnership with Department of Sustainability and Environment and the Department of Primary Industries and Parks Victoria.

CFA community hotline: 13 15 99.

More information is available on the CFA website: www.cfa.vic.gov.au and the

DSE/DPI website: www.nre.vic.gov.au.

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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