WITH bushfire season coming up, Forest Fire Management (FFMVic) is stepping up its preparations ahead of the warmer months.

FFMVic has recruited additional firefighters for the coming months, with 40 seasonal firefighters to work alongside the Far South West District’s 80 permanent firefighters.

The new recruits will attend classroom, field and four-wheel drive training in the coming weeks, to learn the essential skills to protect communities and the environment from bushfires.

Briefings for firefighters are rolling out across the region, detailing the latest fire weather outlook and the upcoming challenges to keeping local communities safe this summer.

FFMVic and other government agencies will have a team of emergency management specialists on standby for the Heywood Incident Control Centre from late November, ready to lead a rapid response to any fires.

Multi-agency training will bring together local emergency management specialists, to test the systems and procedures that are heavily relied on during the fire season.

The Far South West District’s fleet of firefighting vehicles has been serviced and the large range of fire tankers and earthmoving machinery is now set for the upcoming season.

Two fixed-wing water bombing planes will be arriving the Casterton Airbase for the summer and another two fixed-wing water bombing planes will make their way to Hamilton Airbase.

The Far South West District will also have access to Victoria’s aerial firefighting fleet.

From late November fire lookout observers will return to FFMVic’s network of fire towers at Mount Clay, Annya State Forest, Balrook, Chetwynd and Corndale, to scan the forested landscape for signs of smoke.

The Far South West District is working closely with the Country Fire Authority as it prepares for the fire season.

FFMVic emergency preparedness senior forest fire management officer Simon Sealey said a date for the fire season had not been decided upon by the CFA, but a later fire season was expected this year.

“As significant spring rainfall has resulted in extensive grass growth across the Far South West District, we’re preparing for an increased risk of fast-running grassfires later in summer,” he said.

“Our combination of experienced personnel, specialised firefighting vehicles and access to a range of aircraft means we’re well-resourced to have the best possible response to fires this summer.

“This preparation builds on our year-round program to reduce bushfire risk through activities such as planned burning, mowing and clearing vegetation and maintaining strategic fuel breaks.”

Mr Sealey stressed the importance of individuals having a fire safety plan in place before the season gets underway.

“We do everything we can to protect the community and look after everyone but we can’t be everywhere,” he said.

“Those who know they’re at risk of fire should have a strategy in place in the event we have a major fire.

“Whether it’s staying and defending their property or leaving early is up to them, but we all need to be prepared and know what to do in case of a larger scale event.”

Visit www.cfa.vic.gov.au/plan-prepare/how-to-prepare-your-property for information on how to prepare for the season.