Fire danger heightened

A RURAL Fire Service (RFS) boss says the soil and undergrowth on the north coast is dry at the moment, with hazard reduction, including cultural burns, being undertaken across the region as the fire season approaches.

In July Far North Coast RFS brigades responded to over 50 bush and grass fires, the majority of those pile burns and grass burns that escaped the control of property owners.

The RFS advised that while we are receiving some rain, the soil moisture is very low, and combined with cold weather and frosts, the grasses have cured to an extent that fire can take hold and spread easily.

Firefighters use the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KDBI) to assess soil moisture and the dryness of fuel sitting on top of the soil such as logs, leaf litter and undergrowth.

The KDBI represents the amount of rainfall needed, in millimetres, to return the soil to saturation.

NSW RFS Far North Coast Team Area Manager Stephen Prichard said that the weather is changing rapidly at the moment and “while it seems wet, it’s not.”

“The KBDI is over 100 at the moment, which means the soil is very dry,” Mr Prichard said.

“You need 100mm of rain to make the soil moist enough that fires won’t spread so rapidly. The growth above it will be dry and the frosts will kill the grass which is the dryness fires need for fuel.”

When The Weekly spoke to Mr Prichard, Murwillumbah’s KBDI was 116 even though it had been raining.

“So the rain evaporates easily and doesn’t sink in too far,’ he said.

“The volcanic soil will easily take in the moisture.

“We are one of the highest in the state, with Mungindi and Lightning Ridge two of the only ones in that high range. Even Wilcannia is 112. The higher the rating the drier it is.”

The RFS Far North Coast team has been helping with hazard reduction burns in the Tweed Shire.

“We are assisting the Tweed Byron Local Aboriginal Land Council with some of their cultural burning at Fingal at Letitia Spit where the gravel starts,” Mr Prichard said.

“The Land Council owns a lot of land there and right back to Wommin Bay, to the nursing home at Kingscliff.

“They wanted to get rid of some of the fuel as part of their normal burning practises because they haven’t had a big fire in there for a while.

“We were there just to assist if anything escalated. We sent our mitigation crew out to help them construct some control lines which is what we do, break it up into smaller areas to make it a safer burn.

“It was too wet so they didn’t get a real good burn out of it. A lot of cultural burning relies on timing to get the right burn temperatures.”

Mr Prichard said the type of fuel makes a big difference to how fast a fire spreads.

“Molasses grass goes off and is very hard to control,” he said.

“It’s all over the Tweed; it’s a long bladey grass that stands tall and the air dries it out pretty quickly, so while it looks green it can still burn.

“You shouldn’t be burning on windy days; anything over ten kilometres per hour you shouldn’t be burning.”

Firefighters use what they call the 25 rule as a guide, so a day that combines 25 kph winds and 25 degrees Celsius temperature with 25 per cent humidity are really bad fire days.

“If anyone is burning off they need a containment line back to bare earth and they need a water supply, whether that’s a spray tank or something like that,” Mr Prichard said.

“You need to let your neighbours know beforehand and the local RFS so it’s a notified burn, so we know what’s going on in case we get a call to that area and we can ring the property owners and ask if it’s okay.

“It’s a legal requirement to notify the RFS and the neighbours.

“Should a fire escape into a neighbouring property, the property owner is liable for any damage and it’s a breach of the Rural Fires Act so they can be fined for that.

“We are happy for people to ring the control centre for advice on burning off and even an inspection of their properties.

“We are here to help so don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

Property owners are being asked to ensure pile burns are cleared to mineral earth around the pile to prevent escape. If you are planning a fire please call the RFS Far North Coast branch on: (02) 6671 5500.