Central Coast bushfire season starts September 1
With dry conditions stubbornly holding on, the Rural Fire Service has brought the annual bushfire season forward by one month.
Central Coast
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The official bushfire season on the Central Coast will begin this Sunday — a month earlier than normal.
With vegetation tinder dry after months of low rainfall, the NSW Fire Service has brought the danger period forward and informed Central Coast Council.
Council Director Environment and Planning, Scott Cox said there were more than 128,500 hectares of bushland on the Central Coast.
“ We are in drought and we are moving into the warmer months — all cues are that we need to be on high alert for bushfires,” Mr Cox said.
“Council has completed our largest bush fire preparation program to date and we encourage each household on the Coast to be as bushfire ready as possible,” he said.
“We have been working hard to enhance our fire trail network, constructing new fire trails, upgrading a significant number of existing strategic fire trails and protecting our bushland assets through fencing and security measures”.
Council has joined the NSW Government’s ‘Get Ready’ initiative and is delivering targeted resilience workshops.
Under this initiative residents are urged to know their bushfire risk, to have a bushfire action plan ready, prepare their homes, be aware and look after neighbours.
Mayor Jane Smith said the Central Coast’s unique characteristics make emergency reparedness particularly important for the region.
“We are all aware of how dry it has been not just here on the Coast but across NSW and this move by the NSW Rural Fire Service to get ready earlier is welcome,” Cr Smith said.