Firebreaks and safety
To protect our reserves and infrastructure, the City requires firebreaks to be installed. A firebreak is an area cleared of flammable material such as wood, leaves and grass to minimise the outbreak and spread of fire. It also provides vehicle access.
Landowners and occupiers in the City of Stirling are required to install firebreaks on their property from 1 November and must maintain them up to and including 31 March.
To understand your full responsibilities and options available, please refer to the Bush Fires Act and Firebreak Notice 2024-2025.
Where the area of the land is less than 2,000m2
- Prune trees and shrubs and remove flammable matter from the land (except living trees).
- Slash/mow all grass to a height no greater than five (5) centimetres.
- Ensure the roofs, gutters, and walls of all buildings on the land are free of flammable matter.
Where the area of the land is greater than 2,000m2
- Install a continuous firebreak of four (4) metres wide and a minimum of four (4) metres vertical from ground level around all structures and along all external all boundaries of the land.
- Firebreak to be clear of all bush and flammable matter.
- Ensure the roofs, gutters, and walls of all buildings on the land are free of flammable matter.
Fire preparedness and firebreak requirements
Did you know?
Firebreaks must be cleared by 1 November and kept clear until 31 March each year.
Non-compliance may result in an on-the-spot fine of $250. The City will arrange for a contractor to undertake the works required, and the costs will be recovered from the property owner.
Understanding the environment around you is an important part of being prepared. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) has a fire danger rating website that will help you to be bushfire-ready.
Burning off (also known as backyard burning) and the use of incinerators are unlawful practices within the City of Stirling. Solid fuel barbeques must only be used for cooking. Solid fuel fires must not be lit on days rated from ‘Very High’ to ‘Catastrophic’.
Total fire bans may be imposed by DFES and prohibit the lighting of any fires in the open air and any other activities that may start a fire. The ban includes all open-air fires for cooking or camping. It also includes incinerators, welding, grinding, soldering or gas cutting.
For more information, please visit the DFES website.
Bushfires
The City of Stirling is committed to ensuring its community is safe and the threat of fire is minimal from 1 November to and including 31 March. Situated in the Southern Hemisphere, bushland is most prone to risk from November to March - early spring to late Autumn months.
Bushfire has the potential to occur throughout a bushland area at any time of the year, however bushfire activity is most likely to occur within certain seasonal weather patterns.
Bushfires can ignite due to varied reasons, however the two main reasons are extreme weather and arson attacks. The City of Stirling regularly conducts bushfire mitigation activities throughout the City to lower risk and consequence of bushfires that occur on City land. Mitigation activities include:
- Weed control
- Removal of excessive dead vegetation
- Fire break installation and maintenance
- Track upgrades and maintenance for emergency services.
Fuel is considered dried grass, leaf litter, fine twigs, strappy bark. As the weather increasingly becomes warmer, the humidity lowers combined with little rain, the vegetation dries out becoming more flammable.
Fuels dry out after the winter rain, the heat intensifies, with surges of hot air from the East leads to dangerous fire weather conditions. Weather conditions influence the size, intensity, speed, and predictability of bushfires and how dangerous they can be to the community. Vegetation growth increase during and after periods of wet weather, increasing the amount of fuel available.
Strong gusty winds fan the flames and may cause a fire to spread across the landscape. Strong winds can carry hot embers long distances - these can start spot fires kilometres ahead of the main fire front. A change in wind direction can bring a period of dangerous bushfire activity, this is often seen as a trough or cold front - also known as a cool change. In southern Australia specifically, cold fronts are probably the most powerful influence on our fire weather. Cold fronts occur at the junction of warm and cold air masses where the strong temperature contrast provides the energy source that generates the frequently associated strong winds.
Climate change is directly influencing the frequency and severity of bushfire conditions in Australia and around the world, through influencing temperature, environmental moisture, weather patterns and fuel conditions. Observations in southern Australia include more extreme conditions during summer, as well as an earlier start to the bushfire season with dangerous weather conditions occurring significantly earlier in spring than they used to.
Overgrown vegetation from properties adjacent to bushland reserves is considered a safety risk. It is the responsibility of residents to prune vegetation that extends from their property into a bushland reserve or existing fire break area. The City recommends contacting a professional arborist in the instance of large tree management. Residents are responsible for correctly disposing of all pruning waste. Where bushland reserve vegetation extends into the property of a resident, please contact the City of Stirling.
There are some areas within the City of Stirling that are considered to be more bushfire prone than others, which can be found on the bushfire prone area map. Australia has a national fire danger rating system (AFDR) that is determined daily, the AFDR uses four easy to recognise ratings, each with a message to encourage you to take action to protect yourself and others when at risk of bushfire. It is each person’s responsibility to monitor conditions and official sources for fire warnings, in addition to adhering to local regulations and relevant industry guidelines governing fire activity. More information can be found on the AFDRS website.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Service (DFES) encourage residents that reside near a bushfire prone area to become bushfire prepared and implement a fireproof plan, more information on creating a fireproof plan can be found on the My Bushfire Plan WA website.
Rewards of up to $50,000 are offered for reporting information that leads to the identification and conviction of arsonists. The rewards are made available through the State Government and the Insurance Council of Australia’s Arson Reward Scheme.
Seen something? Know something? Say something. Help catch arsonists before they strike.
If you observe any suspicious behaviour, call 000 immediately. If you suspect someone of arson or fire lighting, make a report online or call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
All information received is treated in the strictest of confidence.
Did you know?
People who commit bushfire arson are not always strangers. They often live and work in local communities. If you have concerns about a member of your family, a friend, or a colleague, they might need help.
