Preparing for fire season | ourballarat summer 2023-24

Council may not be the first authority that springs to mind when you think of fire prevention. However, the City of Ballarat plays a crucial role ensuring that the city and surrounding areas are ready for summer.

With 30 years of experience under his belt, City of Ballarat Municipal Fire Prevention Officer Mark Cartledge and Municipal Emergency Manager Tanya Maree are responsible for all fire prevention activities across the City of Ballarat.

Mark and Tanya work closely with other authorities — such as the Country Fire Authority (CFA), Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) and Forest Fire Management Victoria (FFMV) — to identify and mitigate possible fire risks prior to the fire season.

“A lot of that preparedness and mitigation work happens throughout the year,” Tanya says.

“There's no time of the year where fire prevention work isn't taking place around the municipality.”

This work takes many forms.  

While agencies such as the CFA, FRV and FFMV are largely response-focused, the City of Ballarat primarily plays a preventative role in the fire management space.

From managing roads under the fire management plans and overseeing burnoffs, to slashing grass and inspecting properties, Mark and Tanya are responsible for ensuring the region is ready for hot and dry conditions over summer.

“Probably the biggest part of our job is our fire inspection program where we visit properties that may represent a fire risk,” Mark says. 

If Mark and Tanya find that a property is not compliant, they may issue a fire prevention notice — a legal directive to undertake works. 

The City of Ballarat works closely with other emergency agencies, offering support when needed.

“We’re always in conversation with the other fire services around,” Tanya says.

From supporting the CFA with its community education programs, to managing emergency relief centres in the case of a fire event, the City of Ballarat plays an important but often unseen role in the local fire prevention, response and recovery spaces.

“People don’t often realise that the City of Ballarat is here to help the community get back to the new normal — whatever that looks like — after an incident,” Tanya says.

“If people need drinking water or assistance with clean-up, we facilitate that.

“People often don’t realise that’s what we do and are often so thankful that we’re out there helping them when they need it most.”