Fire Prevention & Control

The Municipal Fire Prevention Plan identifies risks, specifies how risks are to be treated and who is responsible for any identified treatment works.

The municipality is inspected on an annual basis prior to the declaration of the Fire Restriction Period to identify potential fire hazards and risk reduction measures.

The Chief Officer of the Country Fire Authority (CFA) declares an annual Fire Restriction Period that generally operates between mid-November until the end of April, subject to weather and environmental conditions. Open air burning without a permit is not permitted during the Fire Restriction Period. The current Fire Restriction Period is in operation from 12 November 2007.

The CFA declares days of Total Fire Ban from time to time when weather and environmental conditions warrant. No fires in the open air are permitted from midnight to midnight on the declared day(s). The use of certain types of machinery (cutting, grinding and welding equipment etc) in the open is also prohibited on days of Total Fire Ban.

Residents are not permitted to use fire in the open air unless a 'Permit to Burn' has been issued. A 'Permit to Burn' can be applied for through the regional CFA office, or Council's Fire Prevention Officer. Permits to burn are usually only issued to farmers undertaking crop preparation works late in the fire danger period. These permits have strict conditions attached.

The following restrictions apply under Council's Local Law, outside the declared Fire Danger Period:

• Burning of noxious materials (plastics, rubber, chemicals etc) is not permitted at any time under Council's Local Laws
• Under the new Local law, a permit is required to conduct open air burning or burning in an incinerator on any land of less than two hectares
• Burning off on roadsides is not permitted.

Contact Details

If you need further information contact Bill Cook, Fire Prevention Officer on 03 5320 5568 or email billcook@ballarat.vic.gov.au.