A HORSHAM district farmer and Country Fire Authority volunteer has raised serious fire safety concerns about a section of Horsham west.
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Vectis resident Keith Lindner is concerned about the high level of fuel available to burn around the south west corner of Horsham, near the Wimmera River.
He also said the section of scrub off Curran Road lacked proper access paths for fire trucks.
Mr Lindner said the area was at serious risk of bushfires and was concerned for the safety of residents in the area.
"I've been a fire fighter for many years and I'm disappointed about the lack of fire preparation and planning," he said.
"There is extreme fire danger in this area. The fuel load around the river is that high this year that I think it would spot fire all the way to Horsham Caravan Park."
He said he was concerned that the area would be susceptible to fires on extreme weather days.
"A day like Black Saturday would explode through here and they would need hundreds of trucks to fight a fire. On St Patrick's Day in 2018, the fire would have corkscrewed over the top of the trees," he said.
Part of the area along the Wimmera River is Horsham council land.
Mr Lindner said he had contacted council about his concerns for ten years.
"Ever since Black Saturday I have included my concern as part of my rate payments to the council. They have never contacted me and the problem has never been addressed," he said.
"When I was a teenager in the 1950s there was a big write up in the paper about how dangerous this area was and nothing has changed. I don't want to predict a disaster, but I believe that it's possibly a disaster in the making."
Mr Lindner suggested the creation of a fire track on the southern bank of the river, west of McTavish Boulevard. This area is currently farmland.
Country Fire Authority District 17 operations officer Lindsay Barry said the CFA assisted council individuals and other agencies to manage land.
"We assist them with fuel management plans but don't have our own land. Private landowners have a responsibility to manage their own land," he said.
"If people are concerned about blocks of land that they think pose a fire hazard, they need to contact the agency in charge of that land.
"We're starting to see the days get warmer. We urge people to any ignition sources on their properties. Over the last few weeks we have seen escaped fires burn further because of vegetation build-up that's gone unchecked."
He said District 17 was well equipped heading into fire season.
"We are well prepared and have gone through all our pre-season training," he said.
"The CFA operates on a safety-first principle and our crews are trained in assessing the safety of situations. Fires can change day-by-day. Some bush and scrub areas can be very dangerous, but it depends on the circumstances of the day."
The Wimmera Mail-Times contacted Horsham Rural City Council for comment, asking the following questions:
- Is the council aware of Mr Lindner's concerns?
- Is the section of land in question a part of council's burning program?
- Will council investigate ways to a) control vegetation in that area and b) create better access routes for fire trucks to this area?
The council's operations manager Rob Moir sent the following response:
"All of our service requests are processed through our Merit system. To date, nothing has been logged regarding this issue," he said.
"We believe some of the area shown in the pictures is private land, some is the responsibly of the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning, and a section is the responsibility of HRCC. Council will investigate further and inspect the area for potential fire hazards."
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