Reduce your bushfire risk

Fires can be hard to control but by carrying out regular maintenance on your property you can reduce the risk of damage in the event of a fire.

You should also encourage your neighbours to carry out fire reduction activities, especially where their property borders yours.

Reduce fire fuel around your property

Maintain paddocks and open areas

Maintaining paddocks and open areas will reduce fire fuel around your property. Slash or graze paddocks to lessen the fuel load and slow fires from running into productive areas.

Near and around buildings or infrastructure

Reduce and remove fuel loads such as long grass, flammable debris, wood and trees away from:

• chemical stores
• fuel storages
• workshops
• machinery sheds
• houses
• fence lines
• critical water points.

Choose plants that can help reduce fire risk

Some plants have fire retardant properties that allow them to absorb heat from an approaching fire without combusting.

Consider planting fire resistant plants across your property instead of plants that create more fire fuel.

Ensure easy access to your property and water

Keep tracks well maintained and clearly mark:

• water access points on the property
• any “dead-end” tracks.

This will allow fire fighting vehicles to access your property more easily.

Dams on your property may be used as helicopter fill sites. Ensure your dams are not obstructed from above or at the sides. You may want to remove vegetation from the edge of the dam to allow helicopter access.

If your plan includes staying to fight a fire, invest in proper firefighting equipment, clothing and footwear.

Regularly inspect your equipment to ensure it is well maintained and operational.

A spray tank will help put out spot fires around the property. Avoid using towed units as these are less manoeuvrable and can jack-knife.

Consider having your own Farm Fire Unit to help protect your property. The CFS recognises that Farm Fire Units are an essential part of the community's response to fire, and to help better support FFU owners is developing a statewide program to register units and provide them with consistent support and resources.

Find out more about Farm Fire Units.

Fire in or near your property can damage and destroy important infrastructure.

Electricity can be easily lost if fire is widespread, and plastic irrigation is easily damaged by fire and heat. Keeping backup supplies of key items allows you to quickly replace any damaged equipment and infrastructure in the immediate aftermath of a fire.

Items you may want to include in your backup supplies are:

• irrigation pipes and equipment
• posts
• wire
• power-supply, eg. generators.

Consider keeping additional supplies at another property or location so they can be quickly accessed after a fire.

Grain

The Grain Harvesting Code of Practice states that a minimum 4 metre firebreak should be set around paddocks and across your property.  Think about the layout of the property so you can properly plan your firebreaks.

Wine and horticulture

Vineyards or orchards that are planted next to dense bushland can be easily damaged from the radiant heat of a fire. There is also a danger of ember attacks into the vineyard or orchard. If possible, allow a firebreak between your plantings and nearby bushland to reduce the risk.

Forestry

If you’re using cultivated, sprayed or mowed areas as firebreaks, locate them only along fence lines adjoining areas of remnant vegetation or public roads. They should be at least 20 m in width.

If you need a firebreak for your farm forestry plantation, the size of your firebreak will be:

• 7 m for plantations less than 40 ha
• 20 m for plantations 40 to 100 ha.

Plan the landscape so that firebreaks work effectively.

Talk to your local CFS about your plan and to get further advice.

High moisture in haystacks can cause spontaneous combustion and is one of the most common causes of haystack fires.  The key to avoiding hay fires is moisture management.

Practice good hay management:

• Only bale up well cured hay.
• Test for correct moisture levels before baling, preferably using a moisture metre
• Store your hay in a cool, dry place, or cover it to prevent it getting wet.
• Maintain your hay storage sheds such as the roof and gutters.
• Conduct moisture checks regularly – invest in a moisture probe for this.
• If baled hay gets wet in the paddock – turn the bales to dry before stacking.
• If windrowed hay gets too wet, you should rake to turn over. Allow the hay to dry before baling.
• Signs a haystack is heating and could combust

Regularly monitor your hay for:

• steam rising from the stack and/or condensation on roof if in a shed
• mould growth, unusual odours (musty or burning smells)
• slumping of the stack.

What to do if a haystack is showing signs of heating:

• Unstack the bales to improve airflow and allow hay to cool.
• Call CFS if you see signs of ignition when pulling the hot hay apart (above 70oC).

Always consider your safety first – do not climb or walk on heated haystacks under any circumstances.

The Grain Harvesting Code of Practice is a useful resource developed by PIRSA, Grain Producers SA and the Country Fire Service (CFS) – see Farm fire safety and prevention.

The code helps grain producers understand what conditions are safe for harvest and when to stop.

As a grain producer, you should learn and understand the recommendations under the code which takes into account your legislative responsibilities as well.

Monitor weather conditions and the Grassland Fire Danger Index (GFDI)

During harvest, continually monitor local weather conditions such as wind speed, relative humidity and temperature. Pay attention to fire ban and forecast information issued by Bureau of Meteorology and reported in the media. Use these to determine what your local GFDI is and stop harvest when it exceeds 35.

Consider installing weather stations around your property to help you more accurately monitor the weather conditions. Some producers have worked with their neighbours to install stations across properties for live weather monitoring during harvest.

If you have a local mesonet – monitor your local weather stations on the mesonet website.

Ensure machinery maintenance is carried out

Machinery can often be the cause of fires so its important that you keep things clean and in good condition.

Good practices include:

• ensuring your engines and exhaust systems comply with regulations (you are obligated to do this by law)
• regularly inspecting and removing any crop residues on your machinery
• reducing build-up of static electricity on your machinery
• making sure your machinery is properly maintained, especially any parts that wear easily.
• keep records of machinery maintenance.

Being prepared with a plan and ensuring other staff are familiar with the plan will make it easier to deal with your livestock in the event of a fire.

Prepare and identify a ‘safe’ paddock for your livestock before the bushfire season begins.

A 'safe' paddock is one that:

• has adequate water supply without relying on electric pumps
• is easy to access, is well fenced and has adequate space
• is either irrigated or hard grazed to reduce the fuel load
• is not surrounded by other combustible material like thick vegetation, tree lines or hay stacks.

In the event of a fire, remember that while caring for livestock is essential, personal safety should always be considered a first priority.

Get more information on animal safety in emergencies.

Be aware, prescribed burning is not recommended because of environment concerns. It can also promote growth of weeds, exotic grasses and fast-growing native plants that will re-establish fuel loads.

Mechanical reduction is preferred, especially where soil erosion may be an issue. Aim to leave the minimum cover needed to stabilise the soil surface.

However, if absolutely required, you can use prescribed burning to:

• reduce fuel loads
• reduce the effects of bushfire on your property
• reduce the effects of large bushfires on biodiversity (landscape protection)
• enhance biodiversity by modifying or maintaining vegetation communities for specific plant or animal species.

See how to conduct a prescribed burn at the Department for Environment and Water

Conducting a prescribed burn

Prior to doing a prescribed burn, ensure you have competent and experienced people involved in the process and plan ahead.

Fuel hazards

Ensure you have assessed all fuel hazards to:

• plan fire management
• identify fuel hazards before and after a prescribed burn
• know how difficult it might be to control a bushfire in particular vegetation.

Get approval

You must have approval from the Native Vegetation Council before burning native vegetation, as most parts of South Australia is protected by the National Vegetation Act 1991.

However, clearance for native vegetation for fuel reduction is allowed in some cirumstances.

Get more information on prescribed burning and getting approval from the Native Vegetation Council