Bushfire season 2020: Yarra Valley CFA crews to take on COVID-safe planned burns
Fuel reduction burns carried out by the CFA are on hold in a bid to protect firefighters from COVID. But an outer east MP has warned this could endanger regional communities again.
Outer East
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The CFA has temporarily stopped its firefighters from taking on any “non-emergency” activities including planned burns during lockdown.
A CFA spokesman said the emergency service had recently chosen to suspend all non-emergency activities, including CFA participation in planned burning, to protect firefighters and ensure a continued emergency response.
This comes after brigades in Melbourne’s north west region were told, in a document seen by Leader, to promote mechanical works, including slashing and mulching, an alternative to burning fuel build-up.
The document said planned burns would be reassessed prior to the fire season to make sure any risk was “mitigated”.
“This may result in some sites not being treated until burning become possible again,” the document said.
But Eildon state Liberal MP Cindy McLeish said fuel reduction burns were critical for bushfire prevention in the lead into the summer period.
Ms McLeish said while the region was spared from the January’s bushfire devastation, this ban on vital fuel reduction burns could endanger regional communities again.
“This ban should never have been implemented,” she said.
“Instead, measures to mitigate the impact of coronavirus should have been put in place to ensure vital fuel reduction burns could have continued.
“We need to lift the ban on reduction burns and equip the CFA with COVID-19 safe measures so they can prepare the land for the summer ahead.”
But the CFA spokesman said participation was only temporarily suspended.
“We are working on a plan to conduct burns in a COVID-safe manner while continuing to assess the situation,” they said.
“With forecasted La Nina wet weather conditions, the weather will have a greater impact on planned burning than COVID-19, especially as far fewer planned burns take place in spring and CFA leads only a small proportion of planned burns.”
North East Region community safety manager Tammy Garrett, who looks after the outer east and District 13, previously told Leader a spring fuel management program — which included planned burns and mechanical treatments — was being looked at being done in a “COVID safe” way.
“We will be undertaking risk assessment before any work is done to ensure the safety for our crews and the community,” Ms Garrett said.
“We are still looking at our program and how we can do some this work.
“Especially with the wet weather further impacting our ability to carry out the program.”
Yarra Ranges Cr Jim Child said because District 13 wasn’t impacted by the East Gippsland fires last season the area was in a more volatile position this summer.
“It’s their call (CFA), they’re the professionals in this space,” Cr Child said.
“And it puts it into that space where its for the Premier and Chief Health Officer to make the call.”
“You have to weigh it up. The pandemic has killed 600 plus people, and what could a bushfire do?”
“It’s a really difficult space to be in.”
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