More notice on burns

By Tania Martin
HILLS residents and businesses could soon get more notice of controlled burn-offs in the nearby Dandenong Ranges National Park.
This comes as the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) trials a new email alert system.
Currently residents are lucky to get a day’s notice of controlled burn-offs through letter drops, signs and doorknocking.
However, DSE recently announced a trial that would see businesses and individuals notified by email.
DSE’s eastern metropolitan fire manager Anthony Maxwell said the trial was a response to a greater level of anxiety in the community following the Black Saturday fires.
“Planned burning is highly weather dependent so there will often be decisions to proceed, or not, just hours before,” he said.
Mr Maxwell said the trial would initially focus on email addresses, but as more people registered DSE hoped to send mobile phone text messages to local residents and businesses as well.
He said the alerts would usually be sent the day before a burn.
However, Mr Maxwell said the email notifications were not intended to replace other information channels, such as the Victorian Bushfire Information Line or Country Fire Authority messages.
Residents wanting to join the trial and receive emails from DSE on burns being conducted in the Dandenong Ranges and Silvan areas should send an email to burns.info@dse.vic.gov.au, with their name, email address and phone number.