Don’t be complacent this fire danger season – that’s the message the City of Onkaparinga wants residents to heed as experts predict a hotter and drier summer.
With lower-than-average fire activity in SA the past few years, it’s important you don’t become complacent, and you prepare for the upcoming bushfire season. Fire danger season has been brought forward by two weeks and will run from 15 November to 30 April for the Adelaide Metropolitan and Mount Lofty Ranges districts.
Around a third of South Australians living in bushfire risk areas incorrectly think they don’t live in a bushfire risk area or don’t know either way, while only half of travellers or transiting workers regularly find out the fire danger rating for the areas they are in.
Bushfire season peaks in summer and autumn, and heatwaves cause more deaths in Australia than any other natural hazard.
Thankfully there’s a lot we can do to care for ourselves and vulnerable family and friends during heatwaves, and ensure we’re bushfire ready.
For hot weather, getting organised can mean monitoring heatwave warnings; making your home cooler through awnings, shade cloths or cooling units; and planning to avoid going out during the hottest parts of the day.
If you don’t have air conditioning, Onkaparinga’s libraries and community centres provide safe and welcoming spaces where you can shelter.
Stay connected by planning to check family, friends or neighbours that are at particular risk; know the signs of heat-related illness such as dehydration; and identify your support network, including those who can help you during a heatwave.
To prepare for bushfires, advice includes creating a bushfire plan; reducing and removing vegetation from around your property; packing an emergency kit; and staying informed via multiple sources of emergency warning information.
The council has compiled a Prepare, Respond, Recover webpage, which includes a range of resources about preparing, responding and recovering from disasters, including detailed guides from the Australian Red Cross and Country Fire Service SA (CFS).
Another fantastic way to prepare for bushfire season is to connect with a local community-led disaster resilience group, which bring residents together to better support each other and prepare their community for emergencies.
The groups, including in Cherry Gardens, Clarendon, Kangarilla, Flagstaff Hill/Coromandel Valley and Willunga are supported by the council through its Australian Government-funded Bushfire Preparedness and Resilience Project. To connect with a local group, contact our Community Connections Officer – Resilience on 8384 0666.
The council maintains more than 1,900 hectares of open space and road verges all year-round. Over the next couple of months, its tractor slashing and mowing programs will remain extra busy with the preparation period as the green grass dries out.