Fire Prevention

Fire prevention enquiries should be directed to: 

When is the Fire Danger Season?

Obligations of Landowners – Section 105F

Preparing your property for the Fire Danger Season

Keeping your home and property well prepared throughout the year is essential to ensure you survive a bushfire. A well prepared home is more likely to survive a bushfire than one that hasn't been prepared.

A well prepared home:

• Can be easier for you or firefighters to defend
• Is more likely to survive, even if you're not there
• Is less likely to put your neighbours' homes at risk
• Will give you more protection if a fire threatens suddenly and you cannot leave or have to take shelter

Ways to protect your home:

• Cut/mow grass so that it is no higher than 100 mm (4 Inches).
• Remove any flammable material from around your home, including cleaning out gutters.
• Clear away dead undergrowth and fallen branches.
• Ensure that any firewood is stored well away from your home and outbuildings.
• Ensure that your property is clearly numbered so that it can be easily found by Emergency Services
  should the need arise.
• Trim excess vegetation along driveways and firebreaks, including any overhanging branches, to provide easy access for firefighting appliances. As a guide, the CFS requires a minimum clearance of 3.5 metres wide x 3.5 metres high.
• Protect your assets with adequate home and contents insurance.

Contractors for Fire Prevention Measures

The following list of Service Providers is a general guide.

These are only some of the services offered within the Goyder Council area.

Other providers are available and can be located in the Yellow Pages or online.

Negotiations regarding work to be done, price, job satisfaction, etc., are to be communicated directly between the property owner and the contractor.

If you are a local Contractor and you would like your name to be added to this list, please contact Council on (08) 8892 0100 or council@goyder.sa.gov.au

If you require aged care or disability support services to maintain your property, please inform Council and see our Aged Care Services page here or access the Disability Gateway here.

Fire Permits

Fire Permits are required for any fire during the Fire Danger Season.

A permit can be obtained from the contacts below. All conditions outlined on the permits must be adhered to at all times under State legislation

When the fire permit has been issued it is the permit holders responsibility to maintain a safe burn off and must be mindful of local weather conditions and be aware of any possible change in those weather conditions.

Any fires under permit conditions will need to notify Council, their local CFS officer and let all their neighbours know their intention to light a fire. Farmers (burning near built up areas) are advertising on local Facebook pages/groups which is a great idea to let the community know what is going on.

Authorised Fire Permit Officers for the Regional Council of Goyder area:

Burning in townships outside of fire season

In accordance with the  Fire and Emergency Services Act

For gazetted townships within the Goyder Region click here.

Council agrees to allow burning in the open on residential properties within township conditions apply. Any burn falling outside of those conditions, will require an individual permit with individual conditions.

a)            Burns only to occur between 9am and 5pm on any day.

b)            All neighbours likely to be affected are to be notified prior to light up as to not cause nuisance.

c)            Sufficient water must be on hand to extinguish the fire immediately should necessity arise.

d)            The fire must always be supervised by an adult at all times it is alight and must be completely extinguished before it is left.

e)            If you are asked to extinguish the fire because someone is affected that has not been notified, you are to comply.

f)             Only timber or a derivative thereof can be burnt, and an accelerant MUST NOT be used.

Burning in town? Know the Laws

• If you burn in townships there are a number of laws you must follow, or penalties apply.
• We must maintain good air quality in our communities for everyone’s enjoyment, and to protect those that have health concerns and may be sensitive to smoke. We must not cause a nuisance to neighbours.
• Council recommend you use your FOGO bin, community green waste piles, a Council Waste Transfer Station, or alternate lawful options for the disposal of the waste
• Council do permit burning in townships outside of the fire danger season. However, smoke from these activities can impact on human health and the environment and can also cause nuisance. All reasonable steps must be taken to minimise these effects. The conditions you must adhere to for burning inside townships are:
  • Burns only to occur between 9am and 5pm on any day.
  • All neighbours likely to be affected are to be notified prior to light up as to not cause nuisance.
  • Sufficient water must be on hand to extinguish the fire immediately should necessity arise.
  • The fire must always be supervised by an adult at all times it is alight and must be completely extinguished before it is left.
  • If you are asked to extinguish the fire because someone is affected that has not been notified, you are to comply.
  • Only timber or a derivative thereof can be burnt, and an accelerant MUST NOT be used.
• All materials to be burnt should be dead and completely dry. No green material should be burnt. The enclosed South Australian Country Fire Service Vegetation Pile Burning Code of Practice provides more information on the matter and should be adhered too.

Laws for Burning in the Open

Vegetation Pile Burning - Code of Practice

Waste Transfer Station Opening Times

Useful information

Websites

Visit www.cfs.sa.gov.au for information on current incidents, warnings, fire danger ratings and fire bans.

You can also visit the CFS social media pages, contact the Bushfire Information Hotline on 1800 362 361 and/or subscribe to the CFS mailing list to stay informed.

• Environment Protection Authority
• Forestry SA
• Native Vegetation - Fire Protection
• PIRSA
• Grain Harvesting Code of Practice
• SA Farmers Federation
• SES
• Bushfire Safe Places & Last Resort Refuges