The Rural Fire Service does not expect the coming bushfire season to be as severe as last summer's, but warns residents of at-risk areas to be on their guard.
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"Don't be complacent!" RFS community safety officer Inspector David Stimson urged. "If you're in a bush-fire prone area, you need to know what the level of risk is; accept that you do have a risk; and you need to manage that risk."
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Last summer's fires were the result of unusually dry conditions; the ongoing drought and dry ground led to dynamic fire behaviour, Inspector Stimson explained.
"The fires that we experienced last summer were unprecedented because of their ferocity and their destructive power."
This spring, Australia could enter La Nina, a climate pattern bringing cooler, wetter weather as the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean cools. While La Nina brings greater than normal rain, that rain also means an increase in grass growth across the Southern Tablelands.
"That could present us with some challenges when the weather warms up around the start of summer, in December," Inspector Stimson said.
Nevertheless, he said, the areas ravaged by the 2019-20 bushfires are unlikely to burn again for a couple of years. The land needs to regenerate, and vegetation to regrow, before fire can pose a serious threat.
While much of the Wingecarribee and Wollondilly LGAs are bushfire-prone, the areas most at risk this season, Inspector Stimson believes, are communities such as Canyonleigh, Tallong, Marulan, Wingello, Penrose, and Bundanoon.
"We are working with these communities through our brigades to ensure they are aware that there are still some risks," Inspector Stimson said.
In summer, these towns were situated between the southern extremity of the Green Wattle Creek fire and the north-western end of the Morton fire. While the fires destroyed some homes in these towns, and some residents were forced to evacuate, many parts of their districts escaped last year's blaze.
"Even though a lot of our communities here in the Highlands experienced a traumatic, horrible time ... we have to advise them that there are other areas that can burn, and we need them to be prepared for what may eventuate in the year coming," Inspector Stimson said.
Inspector Stimson urged residents to prepare a bushfire survival plan. "You need to sit down as a family and have a robust discussion as to what each and every one of you might do if you are impacted by fire. You need to know what you're going to do, and plan well ahead, because fire moves quickly. It's very dynamic and unpredictable, particularly on the worst days."
The NSW Rural Fire Service website (https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au) has a plethora of information available, Inspector Stimson said. Residents can also contact their local fire brigade or the RFS district offices for information.
- Follow the RFS on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nswrfs and Twitter: https://twitter.com/NSWRFS
- To report a fire, ring triple zero (000) immediately.
- Bush Fire Information Line: 1800 679 737 (NSW RFS)
- Fires Near Me: https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/fires-near-me