Firebreaks and Fire Prevention Measures

Fire prevention measures must be completed and all properties cleared of fire hazards before 1^st December to reduce the risk of fires during the bushfire season.  Shire of Donnybrook Balingup Rangers commence annual property inspections on the 1^st December to ensure they comply with Council’s Fire Break Order.

Fire breaks shall be two (2) metres wide constructed to a mineral earth standard free of all flammable material and maintained throughout the entire compliance period.

The Shire will issue infringement notices from 1 December of each year for any non compliant properties. Warning notice will not be issued for non compliance unless suitable arrangements are made in writing or unless an exemption to the Shire Fire Break Order. All applications for exemptions must be received by the 1st November of each year.

Burning Restrictions

Lighting fires on your property can be extremely dangerous.  Prohibited and Restricted burning dates are set according to seasonal conditions and may be adjusted.  General information, legal requirements and dates are available in the Fire Break Order 2019-2020 (A4 Print Ready File) 

Prohibited Burning Times          
15 December 2019 to 31 March 2020 

Restricted Burning Times          
1 November 2019 to 14 December 2019
1 April 2020 to 26 April 2020

Unrestricted Burning Times      
27 April 2019 to 31 October 2019

These dates are subject to slight variation according to seasonal conditions, but any alterations will be advertised locally.

Unrestricted Burning Period

The unrestricted burning period means that you can burn without a permit.  The unrestricted period runs from April 27 until October 31.  These dates may be amended due to seasonal conditions.

Please note, due to the impact of smoke, burning is still prohibited on land under 2000 m2.

Winter is an ideal time to start preparing your property for the upcoming fire season. Particularly if you choose to use fire to reduce the fuel load on your property.  The Shire encourages property owners to take advantage of this safer period to conduct their fire hazard reduction burning.

When conducting a burn please note that care must be exercised:

• The burn must be conducted in an area that is surrounded by firebreaks
• Rake around dead trees to minimise the risk of them catching alight
• Notify your neighbours prior to lighting up
• Be in attendance and control of the burn at all times (preferable a minimum of two adult able-bodied persons should be present for duration of the burn)
• Have the ability to extinguish the fire if the conditions change (water or manual methods)
• Do not burn damp, wet or green material as this will cause excessive smoke
• Fires are to be immediately extinguished should smoke blow across public roads causing visibility to be reduced.

Further advice on winter burning can be found in the DFES publication Winter Burning Guide.

Restricted Burning Period

Burning is Restricted from November 1 to December 14 and April 1 to April 26 inclusive.  During this period you are not permitted to burn without a burning permit. You may request a permit from your local Fire Control Officers.

Burning is Prohibited

December 15 to March 31 inclusive. Burning is also prohibited on any day when the Fire Danger Rating reaches Very High or above or if a ban has been declared.

Fire Permits

Fire Permits to burn are required for all fires within the entire Restricted Periods. Permits can be obtained from the Area Fire Control Officers (see Fire Break Order Brochure for a list of FCOs’ contact details).

Be advised that permits are unlikely to be issued by the Shire’s Health Services to burn garden refuse or other waste on lots within townsite, having less than 2000 square metres in size, as per the Shire’s Local Laws.

Affected neighbours must be notified at least four (4) days prior to any burning taking place. The permit holder must comply with the conditions set out in the permit and be in attendance at the fire at all times.