Preparing for the fire season

Key points

The Country Fire Authority (CFA) has declared the Fire Danger Period (FDP) for Cardinia Shire will begin at 1am Monday 9 December 2024.
Once the Fire Danger Period has been declared, fire restrictions come into force. This means you cannot light a fire in the open air unless you have a permit or comply with certain requirements.
Visit the CFA website for information About the Fire Danger Period.
If you're a resident in a high bushfire risk area, there are important things you need to do in the lead up to, and during, the fire season. Our new Bushfire Prepare online program can help you to do this.
As part of our Fire Hazard Inspection Program, we inspect properties in the lead up to summer and during the CFA declared Fire Danger Period to ensure they are properly prepared for the fire season. If you don't prepare your property, you may be issued with a fire prevention notice.
We recommend you check out the new Bushfire Prepare online program and website. This resource helps Cardinia Shire residents who live in high bushfire risk areas to prepare their property for the fire season. For more info visit the Bushfire Prepare online learning program page or go straight to the Bushfire Prepare website

Before you prepare your property for the fire season note that you may need:

a planning permit to remove vegetation. Contact us on 1300 787 624 if you are concerned about overlays that may affect whether you can do the specified works.
a permit to burn off outside the fire danger period. Burning off is not permitted at any time during the fire danger period.

Slash all grass and weeds on your block so they are less than 10 centimetres high. Make sure you maintain this length during the fire danger period.
Clear fallen branches and dead vegetation from around your property.
Clean up fine fuels such as leaves, twigs and long grass and remove any rubbish.
Larger rural and agricultural properties need to create a firebreak at least 10 metres wide along external fences by slashing grass and weeds to less than 10 centimetres.

More info

CFA’s Plan and Prepare website

As emergencies, particularly bushfires, are highly unpredictable, for community safety we do not have pre-planned evacuation areas. These are developed on a case-by-case basis to ensure we are establishing relief centres in the safest location for the emergency.
There are 3 Neighbourhood Safer Places (NSP) in Cardinia Shire. These are identified buildings or spaces that offer a place of last resort during a bushfire for the local community. These should not form part of your primary bushfire survival plan.

Council works with a number of agencies and our community to minimise the impact of all emergencies within our shire.

In relation to fire hazard reduction, we:

do fuel-reduction activities in Council-managed properties and reserves
conduct a comprehensive roadside slashing program throughout the year, with increased programming during spring and summer
conduct and support community awareness sessions and community-led emergency planning sessions (including pop up events)
deliver our fire hazard inspection program, in which we inspect private properties to ensure they are properly prepared for the fire season.

If you get a fire prevention notice and you are not sure what to do, contact us on 1300 787 624

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