Fighting bushfires

The CFA and DSE share the major responsibilities for preventing and fighting bushfire in Victoria.

The CFA is the main firefighting authority in non-metropolitan Victoria (although it still includes some areas of outer Melbourne - the boundary of the metropolitan fire district is amended from time to time and is shown in Melways Street Directory of Greater Melbourne). The CFA's area of responsibility is called the 'country area of Victoria' and covers 60 per cent of rural Victoria - all private land in rural and regional Victoria, including provincial cities and towns - except for forests and parks managed by DSE.

The DSE together with Parks Victoria is responsible for fire prevention and suppression in forests, national parks and protected public lands, which account for about one-third of the state. All of Victoria's parks and forests are covered by Fire Protection Plans prepared in conjunction with the community, using the framework of the Code of Practice for Fire Management on Public Land (see www.dse.vic.gov.au) Every year DSE's Fire Districts prepare a 'Fire Operations Plan' which detail proposed fire-related works.

DSE fire management responsibilities include:

planning for the prevention and suppression of wildfire across the state's public land;
coordinating responses to incidents of wildfire including that of the state's fire aviation service;
coordinating the planned use of fire for fire prevention and biodiversity objectives; and
development of specialist fire equipment and managing fire-related training.

DSE also has a role in coordinating and implementing responses to other natural emergencies together with other emergency management agencies. More information is available on the DSE web site, see www.dse.vic.gov.au.

DSE and the CFA regularly cooperate on combating wildfires in rural Victoria and jointly manage many fires each summer, particularly near private and public land boundaries.

Local councils have responsibilities for assisting in developing and implementing strategic fire prevention matters as members of municipal fire prevention committees, which are appointed by the CFA, and other emergency response plans with the CFA, DSE, police and other emergency services. Shires have powers to direct landowners to reduce fire hazards on their property, usually during the declared fire danger period, and failure to comply can result in legal action by the municipality.

Lessons Learnt From Burning Program

Increased fuel reduction burning over the past two years has provided a major increase in the protection against bushfires. The Victorian Government's response following the 2003 Alpine Fires was shown by the total area of fuel reduction burning almost double the annual average burned in the previous five year period.

Source: Adapted from Media Release, 3 June, 2005

Fighting bushfires on your own property using your own equipment

When a bushfire breaks out on private land, the landholder is required to take immediate steps to check and suppress it. See ‘Fire danger periods’. The CFA has guidelines that apply to operators of private equipment at fires on private land, including burn off activities managed by CFA. They do not apply to individuals defending their homes using fixed or portable firefighting equipment.

While the guidelines are not legally binding, they aim to promote the safe, efficient, effective and cooperative involvement of private equipment to control a fire in the shortest possible time.

The guidelines are available at www.cfa.vic.gov.au.

In some circumstances as provided in the Country Fire Act 1958(Vic), individuals and owners of private equipment are able to receive compensation if they suffer injury or property loss at CFA fires. The Emergency Management Act 1986(Vic) also provides for compensation for volunteer emergency workers while engaged in emergency activity. Further details can be found on the Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner page on the Department of Justice website www.justice.vic.gov.au/emergency.