The Schrinner Council has jumped at the opportunity to start its planned burns early to prepare for bushfire season.
Ideal conditions have provided a window for our crews to burn ahead of schedule, starting today at the Kholo Bushland Reserve, comprising more than 45 hectares, north of Lake Manchester Road.
The Schrinner Council manages more than 10,000 hectares of bushland across Brisbane and is currently assessing 46 potential sites for burns this year.
Other locations will be prioritised according to each site’s fire risk.
Since 2018, Council has conducted 90 burns, covering more than 1,600 hectares with more than 80 firefighters and 20 four-wheel-drive light attack vehicles on standby.
Planned burns are critical for reducing fire hazards known as fuel loads, comprising build-ups of sticks, leaves, and groundcover.
This helps lessen the potential impact of any future bushfires.
The Schrinner Council’s investment in bushfire preparedness also includes:
- fire trail construction
- fire management plans
- vegetation management
- fire access track and trail management
Residents living in planned burn zones can limit smoke in their homes by closing their windows.
They can also prepare for bushfire season by ensuring they have an updated bushfire preparedness plan and tidying their yards, clearing their gutters and property of branches, twigs, and foliage.
Locals with respiratory and other health conditions should prepare for smoke exposure.
For more information on planned burns or bushfire safety, visit www.brisbane.qld.gov.au.
Quotes attributable to Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner:
“Queensland is Australia’s most disaster-prone states so we should never be complacent.
“Brisbane is blessed with vast tracts of bushland areas, however, that also means we’re vulnerable to bushfires.
“Our Council prepares for severe weather year-round and we’re seizing a window in the weather to start our planned burn season early ahead of the upcoming bushfire season.
“Residents should be assured we are taking every precaution necessary to keep our city safe, but it’s also important they prepare their own properties too.
“Things like clearing gutters, trimming overhanging branches and raking up loose leaves around the house could prove the difference when it comes to stopping a fire spread.”
