Kyabram authorities are warning farmers to be careful while working this summer. Kyabram Fire Brigade captain Tom Druggan and Kyabram police Acting Sergeant Corey Wild fear the consequences of inaction.
Photo by
Jemma Jones
Kyabram police and CFA members have one message to farmers this summer: know the limits and know the conditions.
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While summer has been slow to arrive, Kyabram Fire Brigade captain Tom Druggan and Kyabram police Acting Sergeant Corey Wild say farmers still need to exercise caution when working in dry conditions.
Since summer began, 19 fires have been reported within Campaspe Shire.
Nine of these fires were directly caused by farm machinery, power tools creating sparks, or equipment operating near dry crops.
Sgt Wild said many of these fires could be avoided by having plans in place and by monitoring the conditions.
“It’s just about being mindful of what could happen and foreseeing those consequences if a fire was to start,” he said.
“It’s a quick preventative measure that (farmers) can sort of spend five or 10 minutes having a think about whether they really have to do it today, or can it wait until the conditions are a bit better.”
Kyabram police and CFA are urging farmers to “know the limits” and inspect their machinery, emphasising that a few minutes of prevention could save thousands of dollars and property this fire season.
Photo by
Jemma Jones
He particularly wanted farmers to know the differences between what they could do during the fire danger period and on total fire ban days.
Mr Druggan said that while the Kyabram district did not typically experience large, high-risk fire situations, most fires the unit responded to occurred on farming properties.
“Most of our work is with farmers — intentional or unintentional,” he said.
He said farmers should know the daily conditions, as the perfect combination of a stray spark and a particularly hot, windy day could lead to catastrophic conditions.
Mr Druggan said if work was necessary, farmers should make sure equipment was free from faults and mechanical defects and to “exercise extreme caution” for harvesting, grinding, welding, slashing and mowing during the fire danger period.
He also advised farmers to keep haystacks to a limited size, separate their haystacks, and watch for signs of spontaneous combustion, such as strange, sweet or smoky smells, or excessive steam or heat from the stacks.
“Just monitor your weather conditions is the biggest thing, regardless of sort of the work you're doing,” he said.
While emphasising that they do not want to disrupt farmers’ work, Sgt Wild and Mr Druggan urged everyone, including rural residents, to exercise caution and have a fully prepared emergency fire plan in place.
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