FIRE

Under the Bush Fires Act 1954, it is generally an offence to light fires during the Prohibited Burning Time. Penalties of up to $10,000 fine, 12 months’ imprisonment, or both may apply.

Prohibited burning times are as follows:

• North East Sector - 15 November 2022 to 1 March 2023
• South West Sector: 15 December 2022 to 28 March 2023

Restricted Burning Times

Permits are required to light a fire during the Restricted Burning Time. All permit holders are required to comply with the requirements of the Bush Fire Act 1954. Any additional special conditions imposed on the permit holder must also be complied with.

• North East Sector : 15 October 2022 to 14 November 2022, 16 February 2023 to 30 April 2023
• South West Sector: 1 November 2022 to 14 December 2022, 14 March 2023 to 14 May 2023

Seasonal conditions may result in variation to these dates. Any changes will be advertised in local newspapers and updated on this website.

Restricted Burning Times - Variation

Brigade and Sector Boundaries

The map below shows Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade boundaries and the Sector that each brigade is located in.

Australian Fire Danger Ratings System 

From September 1 2022, WA will have a new Fire Danger Rating system as part of a national project to ensure Fire Danger Ratings are communicated the same way, no matter where you are in Australia.

With the current system over 60 years old, DFES has used updated science and technology to create a new system with greater ability to predict fire behaviour with increased accuracy.

The latest system uses the latest scientific understanding about weather, fuel and how fire behaves in different types of vegetation to improve the reliability of fire danger forecasts.

The new ratings are specifically:

Moderate: Plan and prepare 

• Most fires can be controlled.
• Check your bushfire plan. If you do not have a plan, make one by visiting My Bushfire Plan (mybushfireplan.wa.gov.au)

High: Be ready to act

• Fires can be dangerous. 
• Decide what you will do if a fire starts. Review your bushfire plan. If you do not have a plan, make one by visiting My Bushfire Plan. 

Extreme: Take action now to protect your life and property

• Fire will spread quickly and be extremely dangerous.
• Put your bushfire plan into action. If you do not have a plan, visit My Bushfire Plan to decide when you will leave and where you will go.
• If a fire starts, take immediate action. If you and your property are not prepared to the highest level, plan to leave early.

Catastrophic: For your survival, leave bushfire risk areas 

• If a fire starts and takes hold, lives are likely to be lost.
• It may be too late to make a bushfire plan. Prepare your emergency kit and choose where you will go and different ways to get there. 
• Stay safe by going to a safer location early in the morning or the night before. 

The Australian Fire Danger Rating System will also introduce 'no rating' for days where bushfires are unlikely to spread in a dangerous or life-threatening way. On these days you still need to remain alert and abide by local seasonal laws and regulations. 

You can download the Australian Fire Danger Rating System information booklet here. 

Permits to Burn

Burn Permit Map

If you want to light a fire during the Restricted Burning times, you must obtain a permit.

Who you contact to request a permit depends on the location of the property where you want to light a fire:

• If you live within the DFES Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) district which covers the Albany town site and close adjacent areas, you can apply for a permit in person at our Administration Office at 102 North Road for an Application for Permit to Burn form, or click on the link below to download a form.
• If you live outside of this area, please contact your local Volunteer Bush Fire Control Officer for an application for a permit to burn.
• If you are unsure of which brigade area you live in, visit the City's online map module to check your address.

Permits to burn are issued subject to certain conditions which are listed on the permit. Failure to comply with all of these conditions may result in a fine of $250.  All permit holders must comply with the requirements of the Bush Fire Act 1954.

Permits will not be issued to burn materials that can be disposed of in a green-waste bin. No permits will be issued Good Friday to Easter Monday (inclusive).

Please consider your neighbours when undertaking a burn and make sure that smoke doesn't drift onto roads causing a traffic hazard.

Application for an Inspection Prior to the Intention to Burn 

(only if you live within the DFES Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) district)

Total Fire Bans & Vehicle Movement Bans

Total Fire Ban

A Total Fire Ban (TFB) may be declared by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) on days when fires are most likely to threaten lives and property. This is because of predicted adverse fire weather or when widespread fires are impacting the availability of resources.

During a TFB, the lighting of any fire in the open air is prohibited. This includes all open cooking and camping fires and incinerators. It also includes ‘hot work’ such as welding, grinding and soldering or gas cutting. The penalty is a fine of $25,000 or imprisonment for 12 months, or both.

TFBs are announced on the DFES website, on ABC Radio and the DFES Twitter feed. Exemptions may be available. You can find out more about TFBs by visiting the DFES website.

Harvest and Vehicle Movement Bans

The City of Albany may impose Harvest and/or Vehicle Movement Bans when adverse fire weather conditions are experienced. The City will consult with Volunteer Bush Fire Brigades' weather officers to determine if a ban is warranted.

During harvest bans all harvesting operations must immediately cease. No harvesting is permitted on Christmas Day.

A vehicle movement ban means no internal combustion powered vehicles are to be driven in paddocks or bush areas and ‘hot work’ such as welding or grinding is not to be undertaken in the open air.

Communication of Fire Bans

The City of Albany will endeavour to communicate broadly when a ban is imposed. However, it is the responsibility of landowners and occupiers to check if bans are in place before engaging in any activity that may be prohibited for the duration of the ban.

All bans will be communicated via ABC local radio on 558AM or 630AM 10:05am, 12:35pm and 2:05pm.

If you are a farmer or a contractor and would like to receive notification by SMS notification of Harvest or Vehicle Movement Bans direct to your mobile phone email [email protected]  with your name, organisation name and mobile number.

Prescribed Burns

Fuels that feed fire have built up considerably since settlement, and ostensibly changed the dynamic of the local bush, as fire has been excluded.  Fire is used in a manner to restore balance to our ecosystems, as well as reduce risk to the community and the environment.

The City utilises a number of methods to control or manage fuel levels.  Prescribed burning is only one option and is only considered where other options are less effective, less efficient or too costly.

A map of the City of Albany Reserves planned burns are located here (link to follow in due course) 

If residents wish to have their local fire brigade assist them with conducting a hazard reduction burn, please complete the Hazard Reduction Burn Assistance form and return it to your local fire brigade. 

Volunteer Bush Fire Brigades

Much of the City of Albany lies outside of the gazetted Fire and Rescue area so the local communities rely on Volunteer Bushfire Brigades who are often the first called when fire threatens. There are 16 brigades strategically distributed across all parts of the City providing a high level of service to their community.

Bushfire volunteers are trained in key areas of personal and team safety, bushfire awareness and suppression techniques, driving vehicles, radio operations and first aid. The more experienced volunteers may also be invited to participate in key fire ground leadership and emergency management roles.

If you're interested in joining a brigade, please contact your local fire control officer:

Brigade	Sector	Position	Name	Phone
Bornholm	SW	Captain/FCO 1st Lieutenant/Permit Writer	Chris Ayres  Laurie Nissen	0427 451123 0429 838038
Elleker	SW	Captain/FCO/Permit Writer	Maxine Jones	0427 191771
Gnowellen	NE	Captain/FCO 1st Lieutenant/Permit Writer	Scott Moir Jeff Stoney	0427 472040 0427 471011
Green Range	NE	Captain/FCO 1st Lieutenant/Permit Writer	Mark Plunkett  Jeremy Walker	0428 466032 0437 955443
Highway	SW	Captain/FCO Permit Writer	Ben Braun Chris Norton	0428 532170 0487 930351
Kalgan	SW	Captain/FCO 1st Lieutenant/FCO Permit Writer	Darryl Bradley Brent Findlay Don Tomlinson	0438 198473 0417 071886 0427 366040
King River	SW	Captain/FCO 1st Lieutenant/Permit Writer	Simon Whitford Malcolm Pearce	0409 941440 0429 337382
Kojaneerup	NE	Captain/FCO FCO/Permit Writer	Ashton Hood  Scott Smith	0427 477234 0429 466037
Manypeaks	NE	Captain/FCO 1st Lieutenant/Permit Writer	Kim Lester  Tim Metcalfe	0429 889075 0487 350111
Napier	SW	Captain/FCO/Permit Writer 1st Lieutenant	Tom Collins  Kim Roberts	0428 443451 0428 443104
Redmond	SW	Captain/FCO/Permit Writer 1st Lieutenant	Pieter Mostert  Troy Mostert	0497 453009 0438 867757
South Coast	SW	FCO Captain/FCO/Permit Writer	Shane Duncan  Rowan Hardey	0417 820443 0419 663061
South Stirling	NE	Captain/FCO 1st Lieutenant/Permit Writer	Graeme Pyle  Reece Curwen	0477 543069 0409 203633
Torbay	SW	Captain/FCO/Permit Writer 1st Lieutenant	Brian Taylor  Leith Nicholson	0428 204845 0428 451516
Youngs Siding	SW	FCO Captain Permit Writer	Kevin Martin  Thomas Warner Martin Peterson	0427 452032 0432 082846 0448 320352
Wellstead	NE	Captain/FCO/Permit Writer 1st Lieutenant	Mathew Wood  James Gorman	0408 913039 0428 472106

Brigade Operating Procedures

The City of Albany Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade Operating Procedures describe the safe work practices that should be followed by volunteers and staff when involved in brigade activities.

City of Albany Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade Operating Procedures

Bushfire Resilience in the Great Southern (BRIGS) 

August 2020 Presentations

Below are PDF versions of the presentations that were recently given in regards to local efforts to build bushfire resilience.

These presentations aim to give a better understanding of your bushfire risk, what you can do to improve it and what Local Government and other agencies can and can't do to help. The BRIGS projects will allow residents to better understand bushfire risk and to share tactics everyone can use to make themselves, their families and their communities more resilient in the event of a bushfire

Bayonet Head

Goode Beach

Little Grove